Angel Eyes
by Karina Narith
Summary: Alex Frost never claimed to be a hero, the world merely expected her to be better than everyone else. So what happens when she has to fly second seat to Col. Willie Sharp in order to save the world?
1. Chapter 1

_"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult."_  
Charlotte Whitton

Alex glanced up from her desk as she heard gunshots outside. She peeked through the window and saw Harry cornering her brother. She sighed and massaged her temple against the headache she knew would start as soon as she figured out just what her idiotic twin had done to piss off their boss this time. In the distance, she heard the chop of helicopter blades and Rockhound's call.

"Hey, pucker up! We got clients incoming!"

With a final sigh, she got up from her desk and headed to Harry's office. She leaned against his desk for only a few moments before he stormed in. He stopped for a second when he saw her expression and then continued to his desk.

"I don't want to talk about it, Alex," he told her, picking up a clipboard and staring at it. Alex knew he was too riled up to actually be paying attention to whatever was written there.

"Really now? Because I kind of wanted to know what on earth A.J. could have done to piss you off this badly. Especially this early in the morning."

"He turned on number two after I shut it down last night."

Alex shook her head. "A.J.'s done a lot dumber things in the last five years, and you never drew a gun on him." She took the clipboard from him, demanding his attention. "What did he do?"

Harry sighed and looked towards her. "Did you know he was sleepin' with Grace?"

She was quiet a moment. "You want the truth? I guessed it."

"When?"

"My answer's only gonna piss you off more."

"_When_, Alex?"

She cocked her head at his tone but chose not toremark. "Two months ago."

"Two months!" He kicked the desk beside her, causing her to jump slightly. "Jesus, Alex! I'm her father for Christ's sake! You didn't think I had the right to know?"

"Grace is a big girl. I wouldn't be too happy with her if she went running to you every time I found a new bed buddy." He glowered at her. "Besides, I figured when she wanted you to know, she'd tell you. I didn't think it was anything serious because she wasn't willing to risk letting you know." She shrugged. "Guess I was wrong."

He let out a breath that sounded more like a bark. "Yeah."

"Harry, I admit, I should've told you. I just thought they would've been a bit more mature about it."

Harry gave her a look. "It's A.J.," he stated simply.

She gave him a small smile. "Point taken." She blew out a breath. "I'm sorry."

He glanced at her for a moment before placing his hand on her shoulder. "You don't usually do things you feel like you should apologize for, so it means that much more." He nodded. "But you still should have told me."

She gave him a bigger smile. "So, uh, I was gonna work on the relief valve on number two later today, get it up and running again."

"Ok. I gotta go deal with my daughter."

"Harry…"

He paused on his way toward the door. "And the clients," he added.

She nodded and he left the way he'd come. She shook her head lovingly and went back to her computer. Something big was going on over the classified networks and she was working on finding out what all of the buzz was about.

She had stayed in her office most of the morning and had barely glanced up when she heard the sound of another helicopter. _I guess the clients are finally leaving_. She had heard a lot of commotion outside, but she was so absorbed in trying to find out what was going on in the world that she didn't really consider what could be happening. She stared at the codes on her computer screen, trying to decipher a password out of them. Classified information was extremely hard to hack into, hence the "Classified" label, but she was determined to do it. The external world seemed to melt away around her as she concentrated on nothing but her screen. She began to see a pattern but lost it when her door slammed open. She jumped in surprise as the world came crashing down around her before glaring at her brother in irritation.

"Do you mind?"

"She's gone, Lex! They took Harry and he said that he wasn't going unless he took her and now _they're gone_!"

She stared at him in silence a moment, letting his statement sink in as she tried to put the pieces of his extremely rushed puzzle together.

"Okay, first things first: Who took Harry and, I'm going out on a limb here, Grace?"

"I-I don't know, some guy in a chopper. He said he was some kind of general or something."

Her eyes flicked to him in interest. "He was a general? All right, A.J., I need you to think very hard on this. Did he give his name or his command?"

A.J. thought about it. "Uh, General… General…. General Montgomery!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

"General Montgomery…huh…" Alex clicked on a different screen on her computer and typed in the general's name. A picture popped onto the screen beside a list of information. "General Steven Montgomery, commander of the Pacific Air Forces," she read off.

"Are you supposed to be lookin' through those files?"

She gave him a look and ignored his comment. "It seems he was given orders earlier this morning to come and retrieve our boss."

"Your boss," A.J. corrected her quietly.

"Yeah, my boss," she muttered distractedly but froze when his meaning struck home. "What did you do!?"

"I had a hunch, so I left number two running all night. I knew it would strike oil and it did," he said, defending himself.

"Number two's relief valve was fried open! Jesus, A.J.!" She rubbed a finger against her temple. "Not only does Harry find out that you and Grace are a couple, he catches her _in your bed_, then you go and pull something like this. A.J., you undermined his authority; you started a drill without his consent _after_ he shut it off. What were you thinking? That he doesn't want to strike oil?"

"Alex! I don't need a lecture here, okay? I just had the love of my life taken away from me because her father doesn't think I'm good enough, and now I lost my job! I don't need this from you."

He dropped into a chair, looking defeated. Alex sighed and came to the front of her desk, leaning against it and facing him. She highly doubted the "love of his life" part, but she could see her brother was genuinely upset.

"Look, A.J.," she started quietly. "Harry's taken care of us for a long time. I just don't understand why you two are always at each other's throats."

"That's just how we work. I'm not like you, Alex. I'm not the dream child." He sighed, not seeing the hurt look that entered his sister's eyes. "Chick's sending us home. I'm gonna use this paycheck plus all that I've saved and I'm gonna start my own company. It's time that I branched out on my own, made a name for myself, ya know?" He looked her in the eyes when she stared at him in disbelief. "But I'm gonna need you, Lexie. I can't do it on my own. I need to show Harry that I'm good enough to be with Grace."

Alex sat silent for a moment longer before nodding her head. "All right, I'll help you. But only until you get on your feet, if we're even able to do that."

"I know you, Lex. You won't let me fail."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

He stood up and gave her a hug. "Thanks, sis."

"Yeah, thanks for ruining _another_ outfit."

He glanced down at the oil he had rubbed on her pant suit and laughed. "Sorry, kid."

She shook her head and the two walked out of her office, A.J.'s arm thrown over her shoulder.

Harry stared at Dan Truman in amazement. He had arrived at NASA space center in Houston earlier that day and found out what was happening in outer space and the peril the earth was in. And now he had been told that he was needed to teach a bunch of astronauts how to do _his_ job.

"Well, Mr. Stamper, what do you think?" Truman asked.

"You know, drilling's a science; it's an art. I'm a third generation driller, doin' it all my life and I still haven't got it all figured out. I assume you sent for me because somebody told you that I was the best. Well, I'm only the best because I work with the best. If you don't trust the men you're working with you're as good as dead. Now you wanna send these boys into space, fine. I'm sure they'll make good astronauts, but they don't know jack about drillin'. What's your contingency plan?"

"Contingency plan?"

"Your backup plan. You've gotta have some kind of backup plan, right?"

"No, we don't have a backup plan. This is it."

"And this is the best that you could-that the-the government, the _U.S._ government can come up with! I mean, you-you're _NASA_ for cryin' out loud! You put a man on the moon, you're geniuses! You-You're the guys who think this shit up. I'm sure you got a team of men somewhere just thinkin' shit up and somebody backin' them up. You're telling me you don't have a back-up plan? That these eight _boy scouts_ right here, that is the world's hope? That's what you're tellin' me?"

"Yeah."

Harry turned away from him. "Oh, Jesus! Damn it."

Grace walked up behind him followed by Dr. Ronald Quincy, watching her father debate internally with himself.

"We're a little short on time here," Truman reminded Harry. "Will you help us?"

"All they gotta do is drill?" he asked quietly.

"That's it."

"No space-walkin'? No crazy astronaut stuff?"

Truman shook his head. "Just drill."

Grace stepped forward as she realized where Harry was going with all of his questions.

"How many men were you plannin' on takin' up there?"

"We're sending up two shuttles, two teams."

"If I do this I'm gonna wanna take my own men."

"You got it. So you're saying you'll help us?"

Harry nodded and responded softly, "Yes, sir."

"Thanks."

Grace stepped in between the men and stared at her father.

"I just don't trust anybody else to do it, that's all," he told her.

"Follow me," Truman told them. They began to head inside quickly. "You'll have the full cooperation of the FBI. All you have to do is find out where your men are and they'll go and get them. It'll keep leaks to a minimum."

"All right. Gracie, I'll need all our files."

"This way, ma'am," said a man in an FBI coat, taking her elbow.

Grace nodded and followed him. Harry sat down at a desk and picked up the phone.

Alex blew out a breath in triumph as she finally hacked her way inside the FBI database. It had taken her all night in front of the computer before she started making headway. After that, locks had fallen out of her way smoothly. She found what she wanted in the form of a video file. She opened it and watched, horror replacing all feelings of elation she had been feeling at her success.

_The Shuttle Atlantis in space for its most recent mission, docked by a satellite. The satellite suddenly became bombarded by flying pieces of rock. It blew up, sending the astronaut working on it flying into space, pelted by rocks along the way. More rocks crashed into the shuttle, ripping it to sheds and then exploding into a million pieces. The last sound from the crew had been one of the astronauts cry home. "Houston!"_

Alex sat back in her chair, staring at the screen. She had heard on the news earlier that New York had been decimated by some sort of attack. There was no news yet on where the attack had come from but she was pretty sure that she had just found the answer. She shut down her computer and went outside, shaken to the core. She turned as she heard a car pull up and a smile lit her face as Harry stepped out of the black SUV. She rushed over and threw her arms around him, eliciting a laugh.

"Harry."

"Hey, Angel Eyes," he greeted her with a kiss to the cheek. "How ya been?"

"We're all right." She searched his eyes, looking for a clue as to why he had been taken away from the rig by the government and why he was here. She thought it might have something to do with what she had seen, but he gave her no clue.

"He's over here," she told his as they headed towards her brother.

"Yep. You are on your way, A.J.," Harry remarked.

"Well, you know, being in business for yourself has its advantages: make my own hours, nobody shoots me in the leg…You don't got a gun on you now, do ya?"

"No."

"Good. 'Cause I kinda wanted to get back to this whole thing about you asking me for help. Does that mean there's actually a job that Mr. All-go-no-quit-big-nuts Harry Stamper can't handle by himself? And needs _my_ expert opinion?"

"A.J.," Alex chastised softly.

Harry shook his head toward Alex and answered A.J.'s cocky remark. "Somethin' like that, yeah."

"Well no, no, no, no, no. I mean, is it something _like_ that? Or is it that?"

Alex dropped her head into her hand as Harry stood toe-to-toe with her brother.

"You know, you and me got a real problem."

"You know Harry, there are only, uh," he held up his hand. "Five words I want to hear from you right no. And those words are: You know, A.J., I really look up to you, been a hero of mine for a long time. I'm very impressed with your work. I'm emotionally closed off. That's like-Well, like eleven words or somethin'. You know what, how about just: A.J., I'm sorry and I love ya."

"You know A.J., there's not a job on the planet that I would want you to work with me on. I mean that."

A.J. stared after him as he began to walk away. Alex shook her head towards her brother when Harry stopped beside her.

"So, what do ya say, Angel Eyes?" he asked.

She looked at him and nodded. "I'll come."

They started walking away together.

"So what are you doin' here? Harry!" A.J. ran after them. "What's the job?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer._  
-Douglas Adams

Alex sat next to A.J. as the room fell silent. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Max drop his head onto his arms.

"None of you have to go," Harry told them quietly. "We can all just sit here on earth and wait for this big rock to crash into it, kill everything and everybody we know. The United States government just asked us to save the world. Anybody wanna say no?"

Chick spoke up. "Twenty years. I haven't turned you down once. Not about to start now. I'm there."

"Guess I can't let you go up there alone," Freddy Noonan told him.

"I'm with you," Bear replied.

Oscar picked up the plastic shuttle on the table. "Man this is-this is historic. Guys, this is like deep blue her stuff. Of course, I'm in."

"While I don't share _his_ enthusiasm," Rockhound added wryly. "You know me: Beam me up, Scotty."

"You all right Max?" Harry asked.

"I-I don't-I don't-" he sighed, looking up at Harry. "Whatever you think.

"What about you?" Harry asked, looking at A.J.

"I'm in," he said softly.

Harry looked at Alex who nodded.

"All right then. We go."

"I don't mean to be the materialistic weasel of this group but you think we'll get hazard pay out of this?" Rockhound asked.

"You know, that's a good question," Oscar told him.

"What happened to 'hero stuff'?" Alex asked him.

Oscar looked away, abashed. Harry surveyed the group.

"All right, I'll ask. Everyone who thinks we should get some sort of reward out of this, write a list. I'll give it to the people in charge."

The guys all grabbed at the paper and started talking and writing, giving each other ideas. Alex watched them in amusement. She didn't plan on writing anything.

A.J. stole a glance at his sister before leaving his chair and beckoning to Harry. When the older man joined him, A.J. made his plea.

"I don't want Alex on the crew."

"What?" Harry stared at him.

"I don't want her in that kind of danger."

"A.J., she's gonna be in danger no matter what. 'Cause if we don't have her up there, how's she gonna help out. Then, if we don't do our job, she's gonna be gone just like everybody else." He shook his head. "I need her, bottom line."

"Can't she stay down here and help out? I mean, don't they have, like, Mission Control or something? She can talk to us and help out, but she won't be up there."

"Let me ask you a question: Why are you so set on her not leaving the ground?"

"I don't want to mess up my job because I'm worried about her falling off the asteroid."

"So this is all about you."

"No, it's not like that-"

"Listen to me, A.J.," Harry interrupted. "I'm giving you the rest of the day to consider what you are asking me. And then I want you to consider how _she's _gonna react. Then, and only then, you can ask me again and I'll let her know that she's not gonna be a part of my team."

Harry went back to the group and began collecting their papers. "I'll give them the news." He walked out.

Shortly after, the group walked to the balcony overlooking the hallway where Dan Truman, Walter Clark, and General Kimsey stood talking.

"If you're trying to make me feel better about this scenario, give it up," Kimsey told Truman.

"To tell you the truth, I'm kind of encouraged. This guy, Chick, was an Air Force commando for six years."

Kimsey looked down at the folders in his hands. "We've got robbery, assault, arrest, _resisting_ arrest. We've got a collection agent for the mob. Two of these guys have done serious time."

"Look, they're the best at what they do."

"So am I. And I'm not so optimistic. We spend $250 billion a year on defense and here we are." He glanced up at the balcony. "The fate of the planet rests in the hands of a bunch of retards I wouldn't trust with a potato gun."

Harry walked up to them and their talks ceased.

"So what's the verdict?" Truman asked.

"They'll do it. They've made a few requests, though."

"Such as?"

Harry began leafing through the papers in his hands. "There's uh-Well, there's a few things here. Nothing really big. Uh, just-Well, um, an example, uh…Oscar here's got some outstanding parking tickets. He wants 'em wiped off his record."

"Fifty-six tickets in seven states," Oscar called down.

"I-I'll tell 'em, Oscar. I got it."

Alex stared at Oscar. "_Fifty-six_?"

He shrugged.

"Ok," Truman responded.

"Um, Noonan's got two women friends that he'd like to see made American citizens, no questions asked."

Freddy smiled happily.

Harry continued. "Max would like you to…bring back eight-track tapes." He shook his head. "Not sure if that's gonna work, but…"

Truman glanced up the big man in disbelief.

"Let's see, uh, Chick wants a full week's Emperor's Package at Caesar's Palace. Hey, you guys wouldn't be able to tell us who actually killed Kennedy, would you?"

The three men stared at him in silence. Harry turned towards Chick and shook his head.

"Um, Bear would like to stay at the…" He drew the paper closer, trying to read Bear's writing. "White Horse?" He looked at Bear for clarification.

"_White House_. White House," Bear said slowly.

"White House," Harry said, turning back to Truman. "Yeah, he'd like to stay in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House for the summer. Stuff like that."

Truman nodded. "Sure, I think we can, uh, take care of…some of that.

"Harry!" Rockhound called out.

Harry held up one finger and turned back to Truman. "Yeah, uh, one more thing. None of them wanna pay taxes again. Ever."

The three men stared at him. He grinned and shrugged his shoulder.

"Ok, I'll see what I can do," Truman told him.

"Good."

They were quickly shepherded into the medical examining room for physicals. Alex had gone first, since she was the only girl, and now she sat in her paper gown and dealt with her nerves by watching her odd family around her. Max was staring at the large needle the doctor was preparing for him.

"Who's that for?" he inquired. "Mr. Ed? You stick that in me I'm gonna stab you in the heart with it." The doctor stared at him. "You ever see 'Pulp Fiction?"

Oscar was playing with the medical equipment. "We're losin' him, we're losin' him. Clear!" He pretended to shock himself.

Alex shook her head in amusement. How she could have ever fancied herself attracted to an airhead like Oscar she'd never know. Freddy came around the corner wheeling an IV and doubled over in pain.

"Freddy?" Chick called out. "You all right?"

"Does this look okay to you? Does this look okay?"

Max jogged past him, wheeling his own IV. "It's not all bad. It's kinda tingly."

Chick glanced at Alex and they shared a smile. Nurse Helga stuck her head out of the room she was in and called out to the group.

"Mr. Chapel! You're next."

Chick paled slightly. "Oh, gee, lady. I just came here to drill."

"Oh? So did I!" She held up a large medical drill.

Chick stared at her before getting off his gurney and walking away quickly. Alex giggled at the sight before her attention was drawn to Bear as his doctor started telling him all that was wrong with the big man.

"Your triglycerides are way high. And your bad cholesterol is shockingly bad."

"Gotta lay off them pork rinds, Pooh Bear," Max called out.

Bear stood on top of his exam table and peeled off his gown, revealing his tiger print underwear.

"Pork rind this. Pork rind this! Yeah!" He started flexing his muscles and dancing around on the table, pulling the underwear down to reveal one butt cheek.

The drillers erupted into laughter and cat calls. Alex rolled her eyes and did her best not to look at the large black man's butt.

Next, they all took turns getting a psychological examination. Alex sat at the table in the gray, uncomfortable room and stared at the doctor across from her.

"Is this really necessary?" she asked. "I've done this before."

"Yes, but that was five years ago," the doctor reminded her. "A lot can happen in five years. You said that you lost your mother just before you applied for the astronaut program before."

"No, she died, I dropped all extra college courses I had been taking, and _then_ I applied for the astronaut program."

"Why did you wait until after she died?"

"Is that even relevant? I went over her death and all of that the first time I was here. And I passed. So apparently it didn't affect me all that badly."

"True. Now, you told the last doctor that you had always wanted to be a NASA pilot. But you quit two years into your training. Why?"

"My dad died, my brother needed me."

"And you and your brother are both planning on going up together."

"Not together. He's leading one drill team; I'm working with Harry on the other one."

"Do you think that could be a problem?"

"What do you mean 'a problem'?" she asked defensively. "I've been working alongside A.J. for three years and nobody's ever seen a problem with it."

"All right." He made a note in the folder on the table. "How close are you and your brother, Miss Frost?"

"We're twins; make your own assumptions."

"I would assume that you are very close. Have you had any altercations recently that would make working with him difficult?"

"Have you ever met A.J.?"

"No, I haven't."

"Well then, no. We haven't had any altercations recently," she said sweetly.

"So you left NASA to be with him? To…" He peered through his spectacles at the folder. "…work on an oil rig?"

"Yep."

"Didn't you find that wasteful of your talents?"

Alex stared at him for a full minute. The doctor felt the sweat bead on his brow from her look and decided to move to the next question.

"Have you had any problems sleeping lately?"

"No."

"Any traumatizing experiences?"

"There's a giant rock hurtling towards the earth at twenty two thousand miles an hour. You tell me."

"Point taken. Anything else?"

Alex leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "Look, Doc. I chose to leave, but I never forgot all that happened to me here, ok? It's only been three years. I promise you, nothing bad has happened since then. I haven't developed multiple personalities or started seeing things that aren't really there. I promise you, Elvis has not made an appearance on any of the oil rigs I've been on."

The doctor couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. "All right. You may go."

"Thank you." Alex got up and headed towards the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Harry stood with Truman and Kimsey as the doctor went through his men's results.

"Fail. Fail. Impressively fail." He dropped the folders on the table. "Only one person passed, and even she was difficult and refused to answer simple questions."

"Who?" Kimsey asked.

"Alexandra Frost. As for the others," he motioned to the stack distastefully. "One toxicology analysis revealed catamen. That is a _very_ powerful sedative."

"Sedatives are used all the time, doctor," Harry defended his men.

"Well this one's used on horses," the doctor returned dryly.

Truman and Kimsey turned to look at Harry, who shrugged. "Some of these guys are pretty big."

The doctor continued. "It would normally take eighteen months to psychologically prepare prescreened, viable subjects for space travel. We have seen evidence of a wide variety of territorial aggression-"

"Can they _physically_ survive the trip?" Truman interrupted loudly. "That's all I need to know here, okay?"

"Personally, I don't know how they survived the tests."

Harry glanced at his watch as he walked out of the room. Eleven o'clock at night, and they started training first thing in the morning. This was going to be a _very_ long twelve days.

"Harry!"

Harry turned around to find A.J. jogging towards him. He groaned inwardly.

"Harry, I've made up my mind. She can't come with. I'd be too worried about her."

Harry shook his head. "Still all about you, huh, A.J.?" He sighed. "But I made you a deal. I'll go and tell her. But you'd better steer clear of her. She'll be out for blood and it'll be yours she wants."

A.J. nodded. Harry sighed again and turned away from the younger man, looking for his twin. He found her on her laptop in her room. He knocked on the open door and saw her smile when she saw him.

"Hey, Harry. Come on in."

He came and sat on the bed beside her. She immediately sensed his mood and stopped messing with the laptop.

"What's wrong?"

"I got some bad news, Angel Eyes."

"What?" She closed the computer and turned to face him.

"You're not goin' with us."

There was a moment of awkward silence as she stared at him.

"What? I-I didn't pass the physical? Or was it the psych analysis? I'm really sorry, Harry. I don't know what could've happened. But I'll take both again if I have to."

"No, no. You passed the physical and you were the _only_ one to pass the psych eval."

"I-I don't understand…what's the problem?" she questioned him in confusion.

He sighed. "I don't think it's a good idea. You could get hurt."

A light bulb went off in Alex's head. "Are those your words or somebody else's, Harry?"

"It isn't a good idea."

"And by that you really mean A.J. doesn't think it's a good idea."

He sighed again. "He doesn't think it's a good idea for you to be goin' up there with us. He said that it could impact his work if he's worrying about you. But, ultimately, it's my decision."

She stared at him. "What?"

"So, if you're gonna be mad at anyone, be mad at me," he said, throwing himself under the bus.

He saw her eyes go cold as they shifted from their normal mostly blue color to a dark gray. She pushed off the bed and was out of the door before Harry could say anything else. He rushed out of the room and found her halfway down the hallway already. He ran after her, passing Max, Rockhound, and Freddy along the way. All three stared after them and then started to follow, sensing there was a problem.

"Alex, calm down," Harry said, finally catching up with her.

"'Calm down'?" she repeated incredulously. "Not only does he not have the balls to say that to me, but he sends you to be the bearer of bad news because he doesn't want to risk my wrath. Smart choice." She turned a corner and muttered, "Dumbass."

"You don't even know where he is."

"Wanna bet? Twin telepathy and all that jazz, remember? I bet you I'll find him within five minutes."

"Look, Alex, I have somethin' important I need you to do down here-"

He broke off as he saw A.J., Bear, and Chick enter the hallway just in front of them. Alex hadn't seen them yet, since she'd turned to look at Harry.

"You and I both know that I should be in that shuttle with you, no matter what A.J. thinks." She turned back to the front and stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of her brother.

A.J.'s eyes went wide. "Oh shit."

Alex lunged for him but Harry and Freddy grabbed her shoulders quickly. Bear and Chick took the last few steps forward, putting A.J. behind them.

"Let me go," she demanded.

"Alex, take it easy," Freddy tried to pacify her.

"Whatever is goin on, this isn't the time or the place," Chick reasoned.

Alex stopped struggling and Harry nodded at Freddy to release her right arm. She glared at her brother, barely taking note as he was joined by two other men. They stopped in confusion at the roadblock and Truman looked at Harry.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Stamper?"

"No, no problem. I actually wanted you two to meet." He stepped up beside Alex and motioned Bear out of the way. "Mr. Truman, I'd like you to meet our contingency plan."

Everyone stared at Harry in confusion and Alex's head whipped around to face him.

"'Our contingency plan'?" Truman repeated.

"Yeah. You remember how pissed I was that you didn't have a contingency plan? Well, I came prepared. Dan Truman, this is Alexandra Frost."

Truman shook her hand. "Nice to see you again, Miss Frost."

"Again?" Harry asked

"Miss Frost once trained here to be a NASA pilot."

Alex gave him a small smile. "I'm surprised you remember, Mr. Truman."

"A girl with your test scores is hard to forget. You caught us all by surprise when you left."

She ducked her head but caught Harry staring at her in astonishment.

You trained at NASA?" he asked.

She nodded. "For two years, after my mother died. Guess the topic never came up."

"Right before you came to work for me."

She nodded again, but gave him a look that told him not to go farther. He nodded back and cleared his throat.

"Like I said, Mr. Truman, Alex is our contingency plan. She isn't scheduled to go up with either crew, but I want her training with us anyway. She's the replacement in case anything bad should happen."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then I want her to stand right beside you in Mission Control. I'll need my Angel Eyes."

"'Angel Eyes?" the man with Truman probed.

"It's a nickname," Alex told him.

"Well, I think we can do that. She stays with all of your men, learning all of their jobs."

"Not just my men," Harry told him. "I want her doing all those flight simulators, or whatever you call them. You said she trained to be a pilot here."

"Well, yes, but we have all our pilots already."

"I never said she was taking their spot, but I'm a worst case scenario kind of guy. I want to have all of my bases covered and that includes the pilot's chair."

The room was silent for a moment.

"All right," Truman consented. "If she can handle the training. But if she gets too tired or if she performs poorly-"

"Understood. Now, if you don't mind, Mr. Truman, I think my men should get some sleep before we start tomorrow morning."

He turned to his crew and found them all staring at Alex. She had turned from Truman with a polite smile on her face that disappeared as soon as she and A.J. locked gazes again. Everyone waited with baited breath until she turned away coldly and headed back down the hallway. The others dispersed and went to their own rooms except for Harry, Chick, and, unseen by either, the man who had accompanied Truman.

"Chick," Harry said to his second-in-command quietly. "Make sure we keep A.J. as far from Alex as possible. It's when she doesn't blow up at him that we need to worry."

"Sure, boss."

Will stood in front of the hangar with Director Truman and waited for the oil riggers to join him for their training. He knew this was all a bad idea, but orders were orders and he had a job to do. As the group started heading in his direction, Tucker joined him. He caught sight of the group and blew out a breath.

"Talk about the wrong stuff."

Then he caught sight of the woman who'd caused everyone at NASA to have some hope in this rag-tag team. He'd heard a little about Alexandra Frost, but the small brown-haired woman was not what he had expected. She looked petite, although the flight suit left much to the imagination; not the kind of woman he thought would be working as an oil rigger. As they filed in and sat down, he noticed that all of the men seemed to want to put themselves in between her and the man he assumed was her twin.

Alex sat beside Harry at the end of the table and looked down at the large binder in front of her. She skimmed the open page before glancing up as their "instructor" took his place in front of both tables.

"Good morning. I'm Colonel Willie Sharp. In addition to flying one of the X-71 teams to that rock, my job is to train you how to deal with the mental and physical rigors of working in space. So you don't freak out on the asteroid." He scanned their faces and when his blue eyes met hers, Alex felt her breath catch and didn't breathe again until he looked away. "United States astronauts train for years. You have twelve days. Do we have any intelligent questions before we get started?"

At the end of her table, Chick raised his hand.

"What's an X-71?"

They followed Truman inside yet another hangar.

"You're the first civilians to ever see her," he told them. "We call 'em the X-71s. It's a top secret joint venture with the Air Force. She and her sister ship in Vandenberg are leaving tomorrow for launch prep in Florida, but I thought you ought to have a look."

Everyone stared up at the massive rocket that stood in front of them.

"The two shuttles going up are the Freedom and the Independence. Her titanium alloy impenetrable skin covers the toughest, meanest, most sophisticated space vehicle man has ever made."

They came upon a group of men and one woman in NASA jumpsuits. The group turned to face the drillers as Truman introduced them.

"Okay, Air Force Colonel Davis, NASA pilot Tucker will command the shuttle Independence."

The grey-haired man, Davis, nodded as he was introduced, but the younger man beside him merely stared at the drillers.

"Air Force Colonel Sharp, NASA pilot Watts shuttle Freedom."

Watts, the only other woman, nodded as well.

"Munitions specialists Gruber and Halsey will supervise the nuclear ordinance."

The two remaining men nodded.

"Anyway, uh, I just, uh, thought you guys should meet."

He watched uncomfortably as the two groups sized each other up.

Alex couldn't hide the grin that grew as she could practically _feel_ the testosterone flowing through the room. The NASA guys seemed to have around them a superior aura when it came to all that was going on and she watched out of the corner of her eyes as some of Harry's guys drew themselves up to their full height. She glanced at Watts, who caught sight of her smile and returned a small one of her own. At least she wouldn't be the only woman in this group, Alex told herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Next, they were led to the largest aquatics center any of the men had ever seen. Another NASA official greeted them simply.

"Gentlemen, welcome to our weightless environmental training facility."

Freddy leaned over Alex's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "You know, where I come from, we'd just call this a big ass pool."

A small chuckle escaped and she ducked her head quickly when Sharp looked in her direction. She threw her elbow back and hit Freddy lightly in the stomach. He kissed her head affectionately before walking away with a couple of NASA guys. Her smile faded as she found Sharp still watching her. She found her place in line, puzzling over the knot that had had formed again in her stomach when she met the colonel's icy blue gaze.

They were outfitted in the classic astronaut space suits and lowered into the water. She was enjoying the sense of weightlessness as a pair of divers led her around underwater, when Rockhound came in over the radio:

"So, we're going swimming on this asteroid? Is that what this is for?"

"Rockhound, stop being a bonehead," Freddy told him good-naturedly.

"I'm just askin'," he responded.

Alex shook her head inside the giant helmet and went back to the feel of her body moving almost without the pressure of gravity. Too soon, in her opinion, they were being ushered out of the pool to follow Truman and another man. She caught up with Truman and her quizzical gaze said it all.

"Oh, sorry. Ronald Quincy, this is the contingency plan I was telling you about. Alexandra Frost, this is Dr. Ronald Quincy, head of research. You met briefly in the hallway the other day."

They shook hands as they continued walking.

"I've heard of you," she told Quincy. "You're supposed to be one of the smartest men alive."

"That's correct," he told her, only a tad bit bashfully. "And I've heard of you. You were one of our most promising pilots until you simply…disappeared."

"Yeah…" she trailed off and slackened her pace just enough to separate her from Quincy and Truman.

Quincy glanced back quickly. "Was it something I said?"

"She's real secretive about why she left. I don't think anybody knows. In all honesty, I was afraid she had died until she showed up here yesterday."

"Who would have ever thought that a beautiful young woman like that with such a bright future would wind up on an oil rig?"

"I never would have." Dan raised his voice to include the entire group as they entered the Armadillo Bay. "Here at downtown NASA, we call this monster 'Armadillo'."

Quincy picked up where Truman ended. "It's going to be retrofitted with your drilling arm. She'll turn 800 turbo-horses in near-zero gravity."

"Nice," Alex murmured.

Harry squatted and peered at the vehicle. "Mind if we take a look at her now?"

The men converged on the Armadillo as Harry dictated to them.

"All these rubber hoses gotta go. Max, count 'em up."

"Got it, boss."

As the men continued to climb all over their new toy, Alex approached her boss, who had just climbed underneath the machine. She kicked his foot lightly, her hands shoved deep in the pockets of her flight suit.

"Hey, Harry."

He poked his head out. "Yea, Lex, what is it?"

"Just a suggestion: maybe we should move this hunk of junk somewhere where we can, oh I don't know, _work_?"

"What?"

"Harry, all our tools are in the hangar on the complete _other_ side of this facility!"

"Oh…I completely forgot about that, thanks Angel Eyes." He ruffled her hair affectionately before turning to the crew. "Hey, guys! Get down off there until we get this thing moved to the hangar. We gotta have our tools in order to tear this piece apart."

"Tear it apart?" Quincy asked, visibly paling.

"Are you alright, Dr. Quincy?" Alex asked. She took hold of his arm fearing he might faint.

"Why-why do they need to tear it apart?"

"You'll hear all about it, I promise. Harry never tears apart anyone's work without telling them how they screwed up to begin with," she assured him with a grin.

"Tell me about it," A.J. interjected.

"Shut up," Alex told him with a cold glare.

A.J. held up his hands in a pacifying gesture and slowly started backing away.

"We'll have the Armadillos taken to the hangar where you can work on them," Dan told Harry. "For now, your guys can go and grab something to eat."

"No problem."

As they started to walk off, Sharp approached Dan.

"Where are they going?"

"Lunch. They can't do anything until we move the Armadillos."

Will watched Alex as she walked with Harry and Chick. "Are you sure about this 'contingency plan'? It's a waste of our time."

"Maybe it is," Dan agreed. "But right now, any kind of backup plan is a luxury. It'll be hard enough to sleep without the added worry of what'll happen if something goes wrong." Dan glanced at Will. "You don't seem to like this plan."

"I don't have a choice about it," Will reminded him. "But if I did, this wouldn't be the group I chose to try to save the world."

"You sound like Kimsey…must be the military."

Alex sat with her guys as they ate, musing over everything. Freddy leaned over and stole her apple off of her tray.

"Everything ok, bright eyes?" he asked, taking a bite of the stolen fruit.

"Yeah," she said, plucking the apple from his fingers. "It's just weird being back here."

"Hey, how come you never told us you trained at NASA?" Oscar asked.

She dropped her gaze to the table and shrugged. "The topic never really came up."

"We've worked with you for three years, Alex," Rockhound interjected. "I knew you were smart, but NASA certified? You should've told us."

"Yeah," Oscar agreed. "I mean, we _dated_ and I didn't even know."

"We went on one date, Oscar. Besides, A.J. and I came from the same womb and he didn't know."

"That's my point," he pressed. "Why wouldn't you tell anyone you worked here? I mean, that's something to be proud to tell people."

Alex looked up and met Sharp's gaze across the room. Just like before, her stomach twisted itself into tight knots and she found herself having to work to look away. "I don't want to talk about it," she answered.

"Come on, Alex, give us some clue."

"Drop it."

"No."

"Am I interrupting something?"

Everyone turned to Sharp in surprise. Alex answered, "No" as Oscar said, "Yes". Sharp quirked a brow and looked back and forth between the two.

"What do you need, Colonel?" Harry asked.

"Miss Frost, you have a meeting with the pilots in fifteen minutes."

"I'm coming," she told him. She leaned close to Oscar. "Unless you want to join my brother on my shit list, _drop it_." She stood up and turned to Sharp. "After you."

He glanced at Oscar one last time before leading her out of the cafeteria. They walked in silence until they were right outside the conference room. Before he opened the door, Sharp turned to her.

"I think you should know that not everyone in this room agrees that you should be training with us."

"I knew they wouldn't."

"So whatever domestic problems you bring with you from being a rig rat, they need to be left outside the door."

"Rig rat? Hmm…" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Look, I get that I'm stepping on your toes and, more importantly, your ego, but I didn't volunteer for this job. So keep your higher-than-thou attitude for someone who cares, fly boy. I'm not going anywhere."

She pushed past him and entered the conference room. Will watched her in surprise as she stood in front of his counterparts. He leaned on the wall just inside the door and listened as she introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Alex. Before anybody else tells me what a waste of time it is for me to be training with you; I know. I know I'm stepping on toes and I know that none of you want me here. But plain and simple is I'm the only one who knows both worlds. So I'm the one who is the best option on the off chance that something happens to anyone on this mission. So unless one of you has a better back up plan, please just get me up to speed without a lot of bitching."

Silence filled the room at the end of her tirade until Davis cleared his throat.

"I'm guessing we aren't the only one's giving you a hard time if you came prepared."

She laughed softly. "No, you aren't."

He nodded and stood to shake her hand. "Well, in that case, I'll keep it to a minimum. I'm Colonel Rick Davis. This is my co-pilot, Danny Tucker. This is Jennifer Watts and you've already met Colonel Willie Sharp."

"Yeah…Willie…" She tried to keep the humor out of her voice but couldn't help but laugh a little.

Davis laughed outright. "I think I like you already."

She smiled at him as Oscar knocked on the open door.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt."

"What do you want, Oscar?" she asked.

"Harry sent me to find you. They moved the Armadillos and we're already working on them."

She nodded and asked the pilots, "Do you guys need me right now?"

"Go ahead," Watts told her. "But you won't have long. We've got simulation later."

"No problem."

As Alex passed Sharp he reminded her quietly, "Domestic problems."

She stopped and looked up at him coyly. "You know, fly boy," she murmured so only he could hear. "If you wanted to know I was single, all you had to do was ask."

She smiled at the look on his face and sauntered away.

The rest of the night passed by in a blur with only a couple hours of sleep before she found herself sitting with Harry and Chick making notes on their progress.

"We'll need you to reprogram the onboard computers so it's easier for the operators," Harry told her.

"Who's driving?"

"A.J. and Max," Chick answered.

She shook her head with a laugh. "I can only dumb down the software so much."

They shared a laugh until Sharp stepped into the room.

"Frost, I need you in the simulator. You have another flight sequence."

"On my way." She made the last of her notes before closing her book. She noticed the looks on her friends' faces as she stood up and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "And as soon as I appease Mr. High-and-mighty I'll head straight to the hangar. I'll get those computers working for you tonight. I promise."

As she hurried out of the door Chick turned to his longtime friend and voiced his concern.

"I think you're over-estimating her."

"She can handle this. She'll have plenty of time to rest once this is over."

Chick shook his head. "I hope you're right."

Alex followed Sharp through the winding hallways that made up the space center. They had passed pretty much the entire walk without any conversation and it was starting to bug her. After all, if they were going to be spending a lot of time together, shouldn't they get to know each other?

"So, how did you get stuck teaching space survival skills to a bunch of oil drillers? Piss somebody off?"

He cast a dismissive look over his shoulder before continuing on in silence.

"Uh, hello?" she lengthened her stride so she could walk evenly with him, though it was difficult with his long legs. "I asked you a question. The rules of civility demand that you answer back."

"No, they don't."

"Ok, so when I comment on your rudeness, you give me another rude statement, but when I'm actually trying to have a civilized conversation, you just stand in silence? Is that it?"

He didn't even bother to look at her this time, continuing his walk.

"Ok, fine!" she was really starting to get irritated. "You don't want to talk, we won't talk. You can just keep wandering about with your air of untouchable solitude like a freakin' RoboPilot."

Will couldn't hide the small smile that grew when she blurted out "RoboPilot". He didn't know why, but he thought it was cute. He shook his head. Apparently he had been single for a little too long if this oil rig mechanic was catching his attention. He shot a covert look her way and noticed the haughty look on her face. She was irritated and didn't even bother to hide it. He had a feeling this girl was going to be a lot to handle and he was fairly certain a part of him wanted to take the challenge.

They arrived at the flight deck, where Watts, Tucker, and Davis all stood waiting. Sitting her down, they gathered around her and began to explain the basics.

"The X-71 requires two people to pilot her. The pilot's seat is mine and Colonel Davis'. We're in charge of the actual flying of the shuttle, landing on the asteroid, etc," Sharp told her. "We'll also be going out on the asteroid with the drill teams to oversee the digging. We're kind of the team captains for each shuttle. The co-pilots, for lack of a better term, are Watts and Tucker. They are in charge of everything else, basically. They keep an eye on the gauges, speed, things like that, and if necessary, can pilot the shuttle on their own."

"We'll be taking turns working with you on all different aspects of spaceflight," Davis continued. "There will be times when some of us have to teach the drillers something that you may already know. In that case, you would come in here and whoever isn't teaching the class will be in here with you, continuing your lessons."

"Like I said before," Sharp continued. "You only have 12 days to relearn and continue learning everything that you need to."

"Only under the worst case scenario, that is," Tucker muttered.

All four turned to look at him and he almost flinched at the glare that Alex sent him before following Watts into the simulator. Sharp turned away, leading Davis and Tucker into the mock mission control room where they would monitor her progress during the simulation.

Will watched closely as Alex piloted the simulator, waiting for any mistake. But even he had to admit that she was good. He tuned into the conversation coming over the radio as he heard Watts laugh. He could tell she like the rig worker, which was a surprise since she normally didn't like anyone. It made the rig rat even more of a puzzle to him and he was surprised at his growing desire to solve her mystery.

Davis tapped him on the arm. "It's time to head to the jets."

Tucker chuckled. "I got twenty on the new girl blowing chunks."

"I'll take that bet," Davis said.

"Then you can't take her up. Wouldn't want you to go easy on her."

"I'm taking her up," Will told them as he switched off the simulator's power.

Tucker laughed happily. "Sure you don't want to back out now, Davis?"

Alex and Watts came through the doorway.

"Fly time?" Watts asked.

Will nodded and was surprised to see the eager look on Alex's face. It only took a second for her to get under control again, but the excitement never left her extraordinary eyes. He felt the familiar tug low in his gut that happened every time Alex was near.

"Frost, you're with me."

She cocked a brow. "You sure you can handle flying with me?"

"You're just a passenger, Frost," he reminded her.

"Too bad," she said with a grin.

As they all filed out to the jets, Will heard Davis up the bet to fifty dollars and smiled to himself. They came in just as the drillers were being paired off with pilots. Will took Alex's arm and steered her to his jet. Silently he handed her a helmet after she climbed in. She fastened the strap under her chin as he reached around to help her into the restraints. As he clipped her in and tightened it, he found himself both thankful and irritated that the flight suit kept her figure a secret. He shook his head and looked up, catching her looking at him, the excitement making her eyes shine.

"You ready for this?"

She smiled in anticipation. "Show me what you've got, fly boy."

He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped as he climbed into the cockpit and strapped himself in. He put on his helmet and checked his radio.

"You hear me alright?"

Her voice filled his eyes, making the tug in his gut worse. "I'm pretty sure this is the nicest you've been to me, fly boy."

He smiled. "Well don't get used to it, rig rat. Wouldn't want you getting spoiled." His smile grew as her laugh made his ears hum. "You sure you're ready for this? I'm not gonna take it easy on you."

"You take me for and easy ride and I'll kick your ass when we get back on the ground," she threatened.

He shook his head to clear the images her words brought forth. The end of the world was making him lose his mind. He saw the flight line waving at him and warned her that she'd asked for this before he laid the throttle down.

On the ground, Harry cleared his throat, trying to keep his breakfast down. He turned to his best friend and asked how everyone else was doing.

"Well, uh…"

Chick's eyes traveled over to Max, who was being supported by Colonel Davis.

"Sorry about the rib chunks all over your dash board," the big man told the pilot.

Davis couldn't help but laugh as he handed Max off to Freddy and Oscar. Harry scanned the tarmac, taking in the state of his men. He did a double-take when he saw Alex and Sharp coming out of the same jet. He took note of Alex's giant smile and grew suspicious at Sharp's smile as he watched her. Alex said something to him and he nodded before he turned to join the rest of the pilots as she stopped to check on Max.

"Chick."

"Yeah, I saw it, Harry." Chick eyeballed Sharp's back suspiciously. "I don't have a good feeling about it."

"I think we need to keep a closer watch on our Angel Eyes. It might not just be her brain they want."

"Maybe that's part of the plan to get her to stay."

"One problem at a time. Let's save the world, then we'll come back and kick their asses." He raised his voice so everyone could hear. "All right, break's over. All my guys back to work."

Alex stayed with the drillers, following them into the hangar bay where the Armadillos sat waiting. She set her laptop up as far away as possible; trying to stay out of the damage zone of Harry's rebuild and was soon joined by her brother and Oscar. She tried to tune their conversation out as she worked, but sometimes they couldn't be ignored.

"If you _had _to say, who would you say?" Oscar asked.

"I-I don't know, Oscar. Who do you think you are?"

"Han Solo," he replied without hesitation.

A.J. paused. "No. If anybody's anybody, I'm Han. And you're-you're Chewbacca."

Oscar stared at him incredulously. "Chewie? Have you ever _seen_ Star Wars?"

Alex laughed at the two men and A.J. flashed a cautious smile. She didn't smile back but she didn't bite his head off either, so he let out a breath and relaxed a little. Oscar leaned over to see Alex's computer screen as she worked. Once again, she tried to ignore him but froze when his head blocked her view.

"Can I help you with something?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to create a program for the Armadillos that will recognize everything we need them to do."

"Oh…like what?"

She rolled her eyes and used his face to push him out of the way. "I have to work, Oscar. In case you didn't figure it out yet, Miss Contingency Plan is going to be rather busy the next week or so."

"For no reason," A.J. tried to comfort her. "You'll just wind up sitting her bored when we launch."

He regretted opening his mouth as his sister's eyes iced over and she glared at him, snapping the laptop shut. She glanced over and saw Watts heading towards her so she picked up her stuff and stalked away from her twin.

"Hey, Alex, where are you going?" Harry called.

"Keep him away from me!" she tossed over her shoulder, not looking back.

Everyone turned to glare at A.J. as she walked out.

"Maybe you should try being Chewie," Oscar told him.

"Why is that?"

"Chewie doesn't talk."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Alex cast a glance around the hangar, making sure she was truly the only one in there. After all, it was around 2 o'clock in the morning and even NASA officials had to sleep. Satisfied, she made her way quietly over to the jet that Sharp had taken up earlier in the demonstration. She began looking over the outside, admiring the craft.

Unbeknownst to her, Sharp entered the hangar after finishing a light jog. He noticed some movement over by his jet and went to investigate. After he saw who it was, he leaned against the desk quietly and watched her for a few moments. She had unzipped her flight suit and let the top half hang around her hips. She wore a black spaghetti strap that showed off the figure he'd been wondering about earlier.

"You know, you usually fly it from the cockpit, not underneath," he commented.

She jumped slightly and turned towards him quickly.

"Colonel Sharp…"

He pushed away from the desk and went to stand opposite of her, the nose separating them.

"I've been a little bit confused on something, Frost. Maybe you'll be able to clarify matters a bit."

"What do you mean?"

"How is it that the woman who holds the record for highest test scores at NASA winds up on an oil rig within two years of taking the tests?"

She was surprised by the question, though she knew she shouldn't have been, and it showed on her face. "I…uh, I just needed a change."

"A change?" he asked, coming around the nose. "What, you decided you didn't like flying anymore?"

"No, I loved flying-"

"'Loved'?" he interrupted. "You 'loved' flying? As in: not anymore? Because the woman I took up earlier today quite obviously loves being in the air."

She dropped her gaze as he stopped in front of her.

"I still love flying," she admitted quietly. "But I had to leave."

"Why?"

She looked into his eyes and told him what no one else knew. "My mom and dad split when A.J. and I were ten. They also split us up. A.J. stayed with my dad and I moved here with my mom. When she died, I did the only thing that I ever wanted to do and applied for the space program. A year later, I got a call from my father wanting me to come see him. I'd gone nine years without ever hearing from him and I was too angry to change it. But he kept calling and I kept refusing. Then I got a call from my brother, telling me our father was dead. Turns out the old man had cancer. He'd known about it for a year…" She dropped her gaze again. "I decided that I wasn't going to lose the only family I had left without really getting to know him. So I packed up and flew out to Stamper Oil. Harry gave me a job and I've been trotting the globe with this dysfunctional group ever since."

"And what's with the whole 'Angel Eyes' thing?"

She smiled and ducked her head. "Harry started calling me that when I saved him and a couple of the guys. I just saw the gauges spike and they were in the blasting zone…" She shook her head and glanced at him. "You realize that you're the only person who knows why I left?"

"Why'd you tell me?"

"You asked."

"I'm not the only one who's asked you, Alex." He placed his finger under her chin and raised her eyes to his. "So why was I the one you answered?"

"I don't know…" She dropped her lashes, not wanting him to see the emotions playing in her eyes. "You make it hard think when you're around…"

"Good to know I affect you the same way."

Her gaze shot to his in surprise. "Colonel Sharp…"

"It's Will," he told her.

He leaned in and kissed her gently, giving her the opportunity to pull away if she wanted. He felt her tense for a moment before relaxing and kissing him back. His hand slid up to cup her cheek as he deepened the kiss, pulling her tight against his chest. She made a small noise of pleasure as he slid a hand under her shirt to trail along her back. Her own hands were underneath his t-shirt, giving him goose bumps as she lightly trailed her fingers down his spine. He took her arms and wrapped them around his neck so he could lift her until she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked them both to the desk and sat her on it, moving his mouth to trail kisses down her neck. He couldn't think about anything but her smell and the taste of her in his mouth.

She tilted her head to the side as she felt him leave a hot trail down her neck. He slid her strap off of her shoulder and started kissing it as she leaned forward to kiss his throat. She slid her hands along the outside of his shirt, feeling the muscles tighten underneath as she worked her way down his torso. She came to the top of his shorts and hesitated, playing with the waistband.

They both jumped as a bang echoed inside the hangar. Alex slid off the desk quickly as Will took a few steps to see if anyone was there. He scanned the area and didn't see anyone, but when he turned back to Alex, she was gone.

He placed his hands on the tabletop, dropping his head and closing his eyes as he tried to figure out what had just happened. He took a deep breath and his nostrils flared as they filled with the smell of her still lingering in the air. He swore and rubbed his face with his hands, not sure what to think. No woman had ever affected him like she did. When he touched her, it had felt like he had lost all of his control.

The next day started the same as before, only this time Alex was running on barely any sleep at all. She had fled to her room after her encounter with Will to find she was alone. Although she shared with Grace, it looked like she was camping out in A.J.'s room. She had paced for a while, trying to understand what had happened in the hangar, but her brain was still reeling from his touch. Finally she'd fallen asleep only to toss and turn all night. Her dreams ranged from erotic encounters with Sharp to nightmares about the impending doom they all faced. The nightmares she could handle, but the dreams…Even awake they still plagued her mind and caused her to lose her focus on the job at hand.

Luckily for her, everyone seemed too busy with their own jobs to notice her inability to concentrate. She spent the morning working on the computers for the Armadillos again. Harry had been disappointed with her when she hadn't completed the job the night before. That alone made her push herself to get everything he needed ready. Chick had given her an understanding smile, but it didn't ease the awful feeling of having let down the only father-figure she had ever had in her life. She swore she wouldn't let him down again or let Colonel Willie Sharp distract her from what needed to be done.

So when the afternoon rolled around, she acted as though nothing had taken place the night before. She climbed inside the simulator with Watts and continued her training, doing everything in her power not to notice his icy blue gaze.

_He was surrounded by her scent, her laugh echoed in his ears. He followed the sound to his room where she laid waiting for him. She held her arms out in invitation, a smile gracing her full red lips. Her hands trailed down his chest as he joined her, kissing her fiercely. She drew him down to lie on the bed as she straddled him. She kissed and licked her way from his belly button to his neck, nibbling on his ear lobe before whispering, "Not yet, fly boy." He tried to grab her as she began to disappear but it was like he was grasping at smoke._

Will woke with a gasp, alone in his room. It took only a second for him to re-orient himself before collapsing back onto his pillows. She haunted him. Every time he closed his eyes she was there, and every day he worked alongside her as if they had never shared an intimate moment. It was driving him crazy. He couldn't imagine how he would function is she had actually been on the roster to go to the asteroid. He was only barely keeping it together as it was.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging on his door. He threw on a pair of pants before opening it to Dan Truman.

"We have a problem."

Alex finished up her flight sequence with Rick and Danny earlier than expected, so they decided to head to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee. There they met up with Troy Gruber and Ronald Halsey and sat talking. It was nice to relax and have intelligent conversations with people that didn't revolve around drilling for oil. She didn't regret her decision to leave, but the last six days made Alex consider resuming her training once the catastrophe was over.

She got back to her room in a pretty decent mood and was surprised to see her door blocked.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked A.J., letting them both inside.

It had been a few days since he had made her want to strangle him, so the edge had gone off of her anger. He was far from forgiven, but it required too much energy to stay pissed off and lately she'd been running low on it.

"We need to talk."

"Is it important? I'm supposed to be meeting Tucker for some pilot stuff."

"That's what I needed to talk to you about."

She quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "What do you care about my training?"

"I don't, but you getting so into this NASA thing isn't good for you."

"This 'NASA thing' is what Harry asked me to do."

"But no one thought you'd get this into it."

"It's my job, A.J. If I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it right and to the best of my ability. You know that."

"You're not even going into space!" he exploded. "You're getting all gung-ho about this flyin' stuff and brushin' us off is gonna be for nothing! And then, when we do this job and save the world, they're just gonna put you right back on your ass, just like the first time."

"I wasn't fired, I _left_ you half-wit!"

"Plain and simple is you split. You couldn't hack it so you took off. They're not gonna forget that just because you played pilot for a couple of days. They won't take you back and if you keep choosing them over us, the people who took you in the first time won't do it again."

Alex stared at him, speechless. She couldn't believe that he had seriously just given her an ultimatum. She was saved from trying to form a response by someone clearing their throat in the hall. They turned to see Dan, Sharp, and Harry in the doorway.

"Miss Frost, we need to talk," Dan told her. "Something's come up."

She nodded and followed him into the hallway. Sharp glared at A.J. for a second longer before following her. Harry shook his head in disappointment at Alex's twin before closing the door on him. The group met up with Walter Clark in the conference room.

"Ok fellas, we have a problem," Dan told them. "Watt's broke her arm this morning."

"What?" Alex breathed.

"She was in the shower and slipped somehow," he explained. "She broke her arm in two places. Mr. Stamper, this is where you get to say 'I told you so'." He turned to Alex. "We need you to take Watt's seat on the shuttle."

"Wait, I can't…I mean, I've been doing simulations, but…"

"You can do this. Watts will still be around, so she'll finish teaching you what you need to know. Basically, this is the job I need you to focus on. You've learned the basics for operating outside the shuttle, but you won't be training with the drill teams anymore. I trust that's all right with you?"

Rendered speechless for the second time that day, she could only nod.

"What about our computer system?" Harry asked.

"We'll get someone else on it," Dan assured him.

Harry shook his head. "I don't trust anyone but Angel Eyes to do it right."

"Then we'll deal with that later. Right now, we need to make sure she can help get you to that rock before she can help you drill into it."

"Come on," Sharp told her.

"Where?"

"The simulator. You and I need to get used to flying together."

"Right…"

She followed him in silence, still trying to process everything that had happened. But even in her cloud of disbelief, Alex could feel the knots in her stomach and the growing tension between her and the colonel. Neither had said anything about what had taken place in the hangar, but it was never more apparent that there were some unresolved issues.

They began the simulation, but neither of them could concentrate wholly on the sequence. It was as if they had an extra sense that went into overdrive whenever the other was near. And it was _very_ distracting. As soon as they finished for the night, Alex once again fled to her room.

As usual the room was empty and for that she was thankful. She could've blamed her flustered appearance on her new responsibility, but if Grace had pressed further she would've probably broken down. She tried to sit and concentrate on her notes, but she couldn't focus. She was so on edge that she literally jumped when someone knocked on her door. She paused and took a breath to compose herself before opening her door.

Will looked down at her surprised face and could see every other emotion passing through her big blue/gray eyes.

"We need to talk," he told her. "Can I come in?"

She moved out of the way and allowed him further into the room. She closed the door and leaned her back against it, watching him warily. He breathed in deep through his nose and became dizzy with her scent. He closed his eyes to try to regain some semblance of self-control or he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off of her.

"That's the third time I've heard the ominous 'we need to talk' line today, Colonel, so if you have a new list of responsibilities or an ultimatum for me, can it _please_ wait till morning?"

He looked at her then, a deep searching look, and saw everything she hid so well during the day. She was exhausted, physically run-down, and mentally wore out; he could read it all over her face. They were halfway through training and she had carried the weight of both worlds, training on both sides in case something happened. And now that it had, she was scared.

"That's not why I'm here."

"Then it's to tell me how horrible of a simulation I just ran. I know I wasn't flying my best. Maybe A.J. was right and I'm not what NASA needs," she told him, her words coming faster as a slight hysteria hit. "You're probably here to tell me I failed and you're going to find a real pilot to fly with. I can't blame you. I mean, Watts is the best and you're used to flying with the best. Not some NASA drop-out who washed up on an oil rig-"

She was cut off as he jerked her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. She hadn't even noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks, but it had twisted his gut to know that such a smart and confident young woman would question her worth. He held her until she started breathing normally and relaxed against him before he spoke.

"I'm not here to tell you anything like that. You know you're a great pilot, even if you are a rig rat."

She laughed slightly before shaking her head. "A.J. has always known what to say to get under my skin. Even ten years apart didn't change that."

"A.J.'s a selfish little prick who needs to realize what an amazing woman his sister is."

She sighed and laid her head on top of his heart. "I can't argue the 'selfish prick' part."

His chest rumbled with a surprise laugh and she enjoyed hearing it so close. But she made herself pull away, wrapping her arms around her waist to try to keep some of his warmth. She could feel her eyelids begin to droop and fought herself. She was so tired and her little emotional breakdown had only made it worse.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"You were distracted tonight."

She was so tired she couldn't stop herself before blurting out, "You always distract me."

"What?"

Once again her shut up filter failed her, like it did every time she was exhausted. "I can't concentrate around you. You make my nerve endings stand on end and it makes it hard to think."

She swayed a little but was saved from a fall when he steadied her.

"Sorry," she mumbled, barely keeping her eyes open.

"You're exhausted."

She nodded, stumbling as it threw her off balance. Shaking his head, Will scooped her up into his arms.

"I'll just rest for a minute…"

"You need sleep," he told her, carrying her across the room to her bed.

"No one lets me sleep…always busy…"

"Well you're off duty tonight, rig rat." He smiled when her lips curved slightly. "I'll make sure they let you sleep."

She shook her head sleepily. "They'll be banging on my door in a couple of hours."

"I'll make sure they won't."

She snorted a laugh, prying an eye open long enough to glance at him. "Harry doesn't care what you say."

He set her on the bed and pulled out his cell phone. He was one of the only people allowed to keep it and had sworn to keep the secret of the asteroid from anyone who didn't have the authorization. He sent Truman a text telling him that Alex would be recharging her batteries and wasn't to be disturbed unless it had passed through him. He promised they'd be at Watt's class at noon to announce the change of pilots, but until then to keep everyone away from Alex's room.

"There," he told her. "Taken care of."

She smiled drowsily. "You'll see."

"Then I'll stay to make sure they don't."

She cracked her eye open again, this time in surprise. "You'll stay?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing Grace is staying in A.J.'s room?" She nodded. "Then I'll sleep in her bed."

"Oh."

They both heard the disappointment in her voice and it brought another smile to his lips. "Unless you think I need to keep a closer eye on you?" he joked.

She nodded again and he chuckled as she scooted over to give him room on the bed. He kicked his shoes off and lay down beside her.

"It's good to know that I have the same effect on you that you have on me."

"Don't make fun," she mumbled.

He rolled over, pulling her against him until they were spooning and he could wrap his arms around her. She sighed and snuggled deeper into his arms.

She whispered, "You smell good" and finally drifted off to sleep to the sound of his laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

Will woke up with Alex laying in his arms and thought for a moment he was still dreaming. The night came back to him slowly and he sighed. The movement brought a noise from Alex as she rolled over and laid her head on his shoulder, cuddling into him sleepily. He smiled before checking his watch. It was almost time for the D.A.T. class and both of them had to be there.

He reached over and stroked her brown hair, trying to wake her gently. She blinked blearily and looked up at him in surprise.

"Morning," he greeted her.

"You stayed," she commented, obviously shocked.

"I told you I would. But we have to get to Watt's D.A.T. class," he reminded her. "That's when we tell everyone that you're taking her seat."

She nodded before getting up to get dressed.

Alex stayed with the pilots as Jennifer began to give her class. She was really good about not showing anyone her right hand. Although her sleeve covered the majority of the cast, the piece around her hand was still exposed.

"Neil Armstrong, 1969, bouncing on the moon," Watts told the drillers, motioning to the video. "He's bouncing because there's less gravity up there than on Earth. This will be similar to the asteroid, so watch it. Something gets launched off that asteroid with enough force it's gonna keep going. Right into outer space."

Alex could feel eyes on her and very diligently didn't meet anyone's gaze. The only one of her guys who knew what she was doing behind the table was Harry. She had already learned how to use her suit, but as she felt the stares of her friends she almost wished she was beside them. She knew some of them felt like she was turning her back on them…

"Bear!"

The big man's head snapped to the front as everyone jumped slightly.

"Yes?"

"Do we have a problem?"

"No."

"Cause I'm trying to describe to you how these D.A.T.s keep your ass on the ground. So that if I were to kick you in the balls and you don't know how to work them, what happens to you?"

"I'd float away."

"Yeah."

Rockhound's eyes were lit with interest. "And, uh, when do we start training for that?"

Alex cleared her throat to cover her laugh and ducked her head to hide her smile. Rockhound had always been strangely entertaining.

"Gentleman," Watts told them briskly. "I will give you thirty seconds to put your helmets on and the oxygen will be sucked out of this vacuum and you will know what it is like to be in space. Go!"

Watts motioned for Alex to walk with her as they followed Sharp out of the vault. She didn't mind because she got a particularly nice and covert view of Will's butt and it definitely made the last thirty minutes worth it.

"What's Alex doin'?" Chick asked Harry.

His friend shook his head. "Put your helmet on, Chick. You'll find out soon."

Everyone met in the conference room after their training with the D.A.T. suits, waiting for Truman to break the news. Alex once again felt almost all eyes on her as she sat beside Will. She subconsciously started messing with her fingers as they rested on the table. It was her nervous habit but she couldn't make herself sit still.

She froze as she felt a hand on her leg. She glanced to her right and her gaze locked with Will's icy blue one. He gave her a small reassuring smile and she blew out a breath. She dropped her hands onto her lap and tried to focus on relaxing. When Will took her hand in his under the table, she had to fight to hide the smile that wanted to emerge on her face. As hard as it was not to share her little happy moment, she succeeded. She even interlocked their fingers and was rewarded when he had to stifle his own smile.

He didn't know why he felt so…giddy. He did know that he'd had one of the best nights of sleep last night and that he was no longer a bundle of nerves when he was near her. Whether that was from holding her in his arms all night or simply being able to sleep, he didn't know. But he didn't pull his hand away; instead enjoying another of their secret moments.

Finally, Dan and Walter Clark walked in.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," he apologized. "I was giving the president an update. Now the reason for the impromptu meeting…we've had to change the roster recently and I think you all deserve to know." He motioned to Alex. "Miss Frost will now be joining you in space."

"What?" A.J. exclaimed.

"A.J…" Harry's tone warned him to keep his mouth shut.

"Yea, A.J.," Alex told him. "Don't make more of an ass of yourself than you already have."

She felt Will squeeze her fingers and tore her angry gaze from her brother.

"There shouldn't be any issues about having family going up, you won't be together," Dan tried to calm the situation.

"We're all family," Freddy Noonan told him. "What happened?"

"Watts broke her arm. Alex will be piloting the _Freedom_ shuttle with Colonel Sharp."

Alex had a moment of petty satisfaction as she saw almost every one of their jaws drop.

"Ok, that's everything…" With that, the NASA officials made their escape before any more drama could start.

Harry cleared his throat as Tucker and Davis got up to leave.

"All right, my guys back to work."

"Harry-"

As everyone started to get up, Harry got up close to A.J. "Don't, A.J. Just leave it alone."

"But they're letting her _fly_? Don't they have anyone more qualified to take over?"

"A.J., because I catered to your selfish request, not only am I short on of my best young workers helping me drill, but I may be losing her from my crew all together. So drop it!"

Alex raced out of the door as she heard Harry yell. She didn't want to know what Harry thought of her being a pilot. He had done the whole 'contingency plan' to make her feel better about him choosing A.J. over her, she knew. But now that she had to be utilized, she didn't want to know if he was unhappy about it.

"What do you mean 'losing her'?" A.J. asked.

Freddy and Oscar stood behind the younger man, waiting for Harry's answer.

"You told her we weren't gonna be there for her, A.J. Remember? That if she chose NASA over helping us out, you'd make sure she didn't have a family with us."

"I didn't think-"

"That's right, you didn't. Now instead of supporting her and making her feel like we're still on big dysfunctional family, you're driving her away. She's gonna leave because you're too much of a selfish brat to let her do her job."

"She can't fly, Harry," A.J pressed. "That's why she left in the first place. She knew she'd choke when she actually got the chance."

Something inside Will snapped when he heard A.J.'s assumption and he rounded on the younger man, pinning him to the wall.

"She left because of _you_, you selfish bastard! Everything she's done since she left has been to try to keep what's left of her family together!" He felt the others move behind him and let go of A.J.'s collar. "If you mess with my pilot any more, I'll make sure you don't fly with us. I don't care how good you think you are. She has a lot to do in a couple days and I need her to focus. If you can't let her do that, stay away from her."

They stared after Sharp as he walked out, all of them frozen in surprise.

"What the hell was that?" Noonan asked.

"I have no idea," A.J. told him.

Chick moved close to Harry and spoke so only he could hear.

"What _was _that about?"

"I'm not too sure…but I think we may be losing Alex in more ways than one."

"You don't think she and Sharp are…"

"I don't know, Chick. I really don't."

That day, Alex didn't see much of anyone. She and Jennifer stayed together. Alex was pleased with how willing Jennifer was to teach her everything she knew. She didn't seem to resent Alex taking her spot at all, though she knew how badly Watts wanted to be on this mission.

When the day was over and they were packing up, Alex spoke up.

"Thank you, Watts."

"For what?"

"Being willing to stick around and teach me all of this."

"Well, I don't really have a choice on the 'sticking around' part. Nobody wants to risk this getting out," she reminded Alex with a smile. "But I don't mind helping you out. Even with your brains, it'd take a while to learn all this on your own."

Alex shook her head. "I think everyone overestimates how smart I am."

Jennifer glanced at her. "And I think you underestimate yourself." Alex gave her a look that made Jennifer laugh. "I'm serious. You're an amazing pilot and you've been out of the game for three years. On top of that, you've balanced helping out Stamper with everything the drillers need. From what I've heard, you're a whiz with a computer and on top of that, Colonel Sharp thinks you're good enough to fly with."

Alex couldn't help the blush that bloomed when Watts said his name. It didn't escape Jennifer's notice, either.

"I thought you might have a little crush on him," she commented. She laughed again at the guilty look on Alex's face. "Don't worry, you're secret is safe with me. Although if you two can't figure out how to diffuse the tension between you, it's not going to be a secret for long."

"I don't know what to do," Alex confided. "I mean, I barely even know him but…"

"So get to know him," Watts offered. "Maybe if you take away the mystique, it'll be easier to work with him. He's a good man, so what's the harm?"

"I'm supposed to be focusing on the job."

"And how is your focus when he's around?"

"Point taken."

When Alex still looked unsure, Jennifer put a hand on her arm.

"It's the other guys, isn't it?"

"Am I really that transparent?" Alex laughed.

"No, but I understand not wanting to make waves. But this is your life, Alex. Would they really want you to miserable just because they're afraid you're going to change a little?"

"You're pretty good at this therapist thing."

Jennifer laughed again. "No, but I've been in a similar situation so I can give pretty good advice."

Alex smiled at the older woman. "Thanks."

"You knew what you wanted to do anyway. You just needed to talk to a girlfriend who isn't stuck in the love bubble. It gives you more perspective."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **** Long time no see my faithful followers. I have gone back and replaced most of the chapters in this story. There were quite a few grammatical and spelling errors that made my hair stand on end when I finally went back and reread to get the creative juices flowing. Also, my writing has evolved and so I have added more to most of the chapters. I'm currently updating chapters 5 and 6 and they will be up in the next couple days. Thank you as always. ~KN**

**Chapter 7**

When Alex rounded the corner to her room, she wasn't surprised to see Will leaning by her door. He gave her a small smile as she drew closer.

"How was your first day as an official pilot?" he asked as she placed the key in the lock.

"Quiet," she laughed. "I'm so used to being constantly surrounded by people that it was strange to deal with Jennifer alone."

"Well you'll be mainly spending time with her, learning everything she knows, and then practicing with me."

"I know."

The quiet stretched between them and the air was once again thick with tension. Before she could drum up the courage to say what she wanted, he pushed away from the wall.

"I'll let you get some sleep. I just wanted to check on you…make sure you didn't have any problems today. Good night, Alex."

He had barely taken his first step when he felt her hand on his. He froze and glanced down before turning slightly to see her face. She wrapped her hand around his and opened her door, pulling him through it. He watched as she closed and locked the door, trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible while waiting for her to say something. She surprised him by stepping into his arms and pulling him down for a long kiss. He reacted almost immediately, like he'd been waiting to hold her against him all day. As his lips melded against hers, he realized that part of him had been waiting to feel her in his arms since they had left her bed that morning.

"Wait," he murmured, pulling away. "Wait." He looked her in the eyes as he asked, "Are you sure you want to do anything? I don't want you to feel like…I don't know, like you have to do anything just because we're flying together - why are you smiling?"

She gave a small laugh but he could see from the way her eyes sparkled that he had greatly amused her somehow. "Will, I'm twenty-three, not sixteen. I'm a big girl and I know what I want…" She slid her hands up his chest until she could wrap her arms around his neck, her fingers playing lightly along his skin. "And if you want the same thing, we're both mature adults." She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "So why should we act like anything else?"

"You came prepared."

"I was having the same arguments with myself."

She smiled as he pulled her to him again and kissed her. Just like their moment in the hangar, it seemed like they couldn't get enough of each other. The kiss deepened and their hands raced against each other's bodies. Before they knew it, they were on the bed and Alex pushed him onto his back, climbing on top of him. He gripped her thighs as she kissed down the side of his neck. She lightly nipped his collarbone and he groaned, flipping her onto her back and kissing her so deeply she was pressed into the mattress. He began kissing his way down her neck, his hand sliding underneath her shirt. His palm had reached right above her ribcage when they both jumped as somebody knocked on her door. Will made it clear he was going to ignore the interruption as he nuzzled her neck, grazing his teeth lightly along her sensitive skin. He heard her breath catch at the sensation but she froze when the knock came again. He dropped his head onto her shoulder and groaned softly, wanting nothing more than to open the door and punch whoever was outside as Alex wiggled out from underneath him. She glanced back at Will when she reached the door and stifled her laugh when she saw him on his back with a pillow pressed to his face. He lifted the pillow and gave her a look so heated that her breath caught again and she had to force herself to open the door so only she was visible. Her eyes widened in surprise when she found Chick, Bear, Noonan, Max, and Oscar in a semicircle around the doorframe.

"Umm, what did I do?"

Bear smiled down at her. "Nothing to get you into trouble, I hope."

She forced a slight chuckle.

"Are you all right?" he questioned. "You look a little worked up."

"I'm fine, just finished a quick work out," she fibbed. "What's up, guys?"

"We, uh…" Chick began. "We wanted to tell you that…well, we're proud of you, Alex."

She blinked at her friends slowly. "What?"

"Yeah," Noonan agreed, flashed his crooked grin that had girls around the world still mooning over him. "You know, NASA pilot…that's a big deal."

"We wanted you to know that we're still family," Bear assured her. "We don't agree with what A.J. said; no matter what, we'll be here for you."

"Don't let the little turd get to you," Max told her. "You know him better than anyone here."

She beamed at all of them. She could admit now that it had worried her that A.J. was speaking for everyone when he had blown up at her earlier. She didn't know what she would have done if she lost her place amongst the rag-tag group she'd been a part of for three years.

"Thanks, you guys. You don't know how much it means to hear you say that."

"A.J. probably changed his mind after his talk with the colonel anyway," Oscar snickered.

"Colonel Sharp?" Alex squeaked, stunned again. It took a lot of willpower not to glance towards the bed. She cleared her throat before inquiring, "What do you mean? What talk?"

"The colonel told A.J. to leave you alone if he couldn't handle you flying with us. He threatened to get him kicked off of the mission if A.J. didn't." Alex blinked at him in shock. "He seemed really pissed off too," Oscar continued, oblivious to the floored expression on Alex's face. "Like, if we didn't know any better, we'd think he was sweet on you or something."

That pulled her back to reality. "You're an idiot, Oscar," she stated. "He's my co-pilot; of course he wants me to be focused. If I'm not, we crash."

"Ok, 'cause some of us were a little worried-"

Noonan shoved him into the wall. "Shut up, loud mouth."

"Don't worry guys," she tried to reassure them. "I know where I stand: I'm the bridge between you guys and the NASA guys. I make things work a little easier, nothing more."

There was a moment of silence as everyone digested what she said and then Chick smiled. "We'll let you get some sleep. I know you're busier than ever now."

"Thanks, Chick."

Noonan pulled her hair playfully and she smirked at him. "Sleep tight, Angel."

"Night, guys."

She watched them walk a few feet away from her door before closing and locking it. She leaned her back against it and glanced at Will. He sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze steady on her as he waited for her reaction.

"You had a talk with my brother?"

He interlaced his fingers between his knees and studied them. "He was running his mouth."

"It's a fault of his."

Will's eyes flicked to her and back to his hands. "Well when it comes to his sister, he should learn to control it."

She gazed at him in confusion. Where was all of this coming from? "That's just how A.J. is," she explained.

Will got up and stood in front of her. "Every time that I have seen you around your brother, you're upset. Irritated, pissed off, or genuinely hurt, I've seen him do it all since you've been here. How are you supposed to focus on the job at hand if he's distracting you?"

"Apparently I can't help but be distracted in one way or another." She blew out a breath and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Between you and my brother it's a wonder I can concentrate at all on the impending doom we're supposed to be training to fend off."

"Alex, that's not what I meant…"

"It's fine," she affirmed. "Everything will be fine."

He stepped closer to her until there was less than an inch between them and slid his hand down her arm. "We can remove one of the distractions for both of us," he murmured. "It's like you said: we're both adults."

He cupped her cheek and smoothed his thumb over her lips, leaning in slowly and allowing her the time to say no. She closed the distance and melded her lips to his. He tried to keep the pace slow and enjoy the sensations she brought up in him, but he couldn't seem to control himself again. Something about her was intoxicating. When she pulled his t-shirt over his head and left a heated trail along his chest with lips, tongue, and teeth, he lost the last bit of control that he'd held on to. He jerked her spaghetti strap over her head and pushed her against the door. He raised her arms above her head and pinned her wrists with one hand. He kissed his way to her neck and as he caressed and licked, his hand slipped into her flight suit. She gasped as he teased her until small noises of protest escaped her throat and she was straining against his hold. When she thought she would go mad with need, he pushed her gasping over the edge. As her knees turned to jelly, he folded her into his arms and made his way to the bed. She gave a breathy chuckled and pulled him to her when he placed her on the mattress.

"Not a bad warm up," she purred happily. "What else ya got?"

The next morning, Will woke up alone and for a brief moment had trouble getting his bearings. He looked around and recognized Alex's room, but the space beside him was empty save for a short note:

_Fly Boy, _

_Had to help Harry and didn't want to wake you. Have a feeling he's going to keep me awhile, so I'll see you in the simulator. _

–_Rig Rat_

He frowned as he sat up and found his clothes. After a night and morning filled with passion, the note seemed to be the exact opposite. He shook his head and chastised himself silently. The whole point of the previous night was to alleviate the tension between them so they could work together well. The night was over and it was time to get back to the business at hand. He very diligently ignored the part of him that had been disappointed when she hadn't been sleeping in his arms when he woke. He checked to be sure the hallway was clear and then made his way to the cafeteria.

Alex was both exhausted and full of energy. Too soon after she and Will had collapsed she had found herself working alongside Harry in the hangar. Will had barely moved when Harry knocked on her door and she couldn't bring herself to wake him up. He had been so relaxed and peaceful and she knew how much stress he was under to train her friends and to get her up to speed. She knew the note she left was stupid, but she had to leave him some explanation or he might have gotten the wrong idea. Of course, the note probably gave him the wrong idea anyway since she was so worried about sounding ridiculous that she was pretty sure she sounded like _she _was the robot this time. She grumpily ran her fingers through her hair before tying it back in another ponytail. She grabbed a quick bite to eat after her lessons with Watts before heading to the simulator for more practice with Will. With every step she took, her nerves tied her stomach into semi-painful knots. He was already inside the machine so she left Jennifer and joined him.

"Colonel Sharp." She was proud when her voice came out polite and controlled instead of shaky, as she feared it would.

"Frost," he greeted without looking at her. "You ready?"

"Let's do it."

It was a little bit easier to work alongside him now, but her stomach was in agony from anxiety. She was hyperaware of his every move, which actually made it easier to fly second seat. But by the end of their simulations a few hours later, she was even more exhausted and slightly on edge. She grabbed a quick dinner and had to fight not to fall asleep in her food. Before she could reach her room, Max asked for her help with the practice Armadillo control panel she had rigged. Forty-five minutes later she was finally opening her door, intent on her bed.

"Frost?"

Her nerve endings went into overdrive at the sound of his voice. She turned to find him coming down the hallway.

"How can I help you, Colonel?" she asked, squelching her exhaustion and nerves.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he joined her in front of her room. "Are you just now getting to bed?"

"Someone needed my help so sleep had to wait."

"They could've waited till morning. You need your rest."

"Right, because _you_ haven't kept me up at all," she reminded him pointedly.

"You're right," he affirmed after a moment. "I'm sorry."

"If you're apologizing for keeping me up, I don't remember complaining," she stated quietly. "If you're sorry for snapping at me, it's fine. I'm a little on edge too."

He regarded at her a moment before blowing out a breath and visibly relaxing. He rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. "I thought getting it out of our system would make it easier to work together," he revealed.

"Sorry…"

His brow furrowed as he frowned at her tone. "Alex, I didn't mean it like that." His voice dropped lower so there was no chance of them being overheard. "I mean that I look at you and still all I want to do is pull you into that bedroom and recreate what happened last night. It's a bit distracting when I'm trying to remain professional around you."

"Maybe it would help if we didn't say it wasn't going to happen again," she offered as she leaned back against the door frame. As tired as she was, this was a necessary conversation right now. "I mean, if we think it will never happen again, it makes us think about it more. So if we agree that it might occur again, it won't be as disruptive."

"You still want to?" He couldn't quite keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Well, yeah…unless you don't. In that case, it's fine."

"I wasn't sure after the note…"

A pink blush filled her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I had to hurry and I wanted you to sleep. I knew it was stupid."

He chuckled and pulled her into his arms, kissing her softly. He gazed down at her until she opened her eyes.

"You need sleep," he reminded them both.

"Oh, right." She hid almost all of her disappointment.

"I can stay, if you want."

Her blush deepened and she ducked her head. "You don't have to. I know you have other stuff to do."

"What do _you_ want? Do you want me to stay? 'Cause I'm offering if you do." She nodded her head slowly. "Then I'm staying." He pulled her inside the room and shut the door. "Bed," he ordered.

She changed quickly and as they lay down the full weight of her exhaustion hit and she quickly lapsed into unconsciousness draped across Will's bare chest. He stayed awake for a while, studying the ceiling as he absentmindedly stroked her hair while he thought. It was strange to him that being here in Alex's bed with her sleeping next to him would feel so…right. Even when he was married he hadn't felt so comfortable with someone. It was utterly ridiculous since her barely knew her, but in the dark with her curled against him, he could be honest with himself. The rig rat had gotten under his skin somehow and the thought didn't upset him as it normally would. He shook his head and glanced down as the movement caused Alex to move her head to his shoulder. She cuddled closer to him and he couldn't help but smile; she had that effect on him.

"What am I gonna do with you?" he murmured to her sleeping form.

Even passed out as hard as she was, her lips curved as his voice rumbled in his chest and his own smile grew. She really was something else. He tightened his arm around her and closed his eyes, drifting off as he was surrounded by her scent.


	8. Chapter 8

Will stood beside Tucker and behind Alex's chair as the drillers filed into the conference room. Noonan pulled on her hair gently as he sat next to her, oblivious to the look that crossed the colonel's face. She offered a slight smile but the tension in the room was high and she fidgeted quietly as they waited for Truman to begin their brief. As the director moved to the front of the room, Will touched Alex's shoulder lightly and her nervous movement ceased. She took a breath and had to almost force herself not to reach up and wrap her hand around his. She swallowed hard and straightened in her chair as Dan pulled out two model rockets attached to sticks.

"Ok gentlemen, so here's the flight plan: Now let's keep the laughter to a minimum; I know this is not to scale. Both shuttles will take off Tuesday at 6:30 pm. Now sixty-seven minutes later, you're gonna dock with the Russian space station to meet Cosmonaut Andropov who will refuel the shuttles with liquid O2, that's your fuel. Then you'll release and take a sixty hour trip towards the moon." He glanced over at the group in blue flight suits. "Now, we only have one shot of landing on this rock and that's precisely when the asteroid passes the moon. You'll then use lunar gravity and burn your thrusters, sling-shotting you around the moon, coming up behind the asteroid. You'll be upward of eleven G's."

"Yeah, I remember this one," Rockhound interrupted. "It's where the coyote sat his ass down in a slingshot and he strapped himself to an ACME rocket. Is that what we're doing here?"

"Rockhound," Harry warned quietly.

"No, no really, because it didn't work out too well for the coyote, Harry."

"Hey, Rock-"

"Well, actually, we have a lot better rockets than the coyote," Truman assured him with a hint of sarcasm. "Now, when you've finished your 'Roadrunner thrust' move, you'll be moving at 22,500 miles per hour. Coming around behind the asteroid where we're hoping that the tail debris will be cleared by the moon's gravity. And you'll land right here." He moved the rockets to the suspended asteroid replica. "That's it."

Walter Clark took his cue, drawing their attention to him. "We've got separate landing sites for each team, softest parts of the rock as we can figure. At NASA we don't take chances, we double-up on everything. First team that hits eight hundred feet wins."

Alex glanced over at Colonel Davis, who caught her look and gave her a wink. She took a deep breath and tuned back into the brief.

"Ok, Mr. Truman," Oscar began. "Let's say that we actually _do_ land on this. What's it gonna be like up there?"

"Two hundred degrees in the sunlight, minus two hundred in the shade. Canyons of razor-sharp rock, unpredictable gravitational conditions, unexpected eruptions…Things like that," he responded nonchalantly.

Oscar blinked at him. "Ok, so the scariest environment imaginable…Thanks, that's all you gotta say: 'scariest environment imaginable'."

Truman pressed on, "Ok, so you drill, you drop the nuke, and you leave. Now here's the key: you're gonna remote detonate the bomb before the asteroid passes this plane." He nods at Dr. Quincy who turns on a monitor. "Zero barrier. You do that and the remaining pieces of rock should be deflected enough to pass right by us. Now if the bomb explodes after zero barrier-" The computer showed the rocks hit earth. "Game's over."

The teams sat in silence as they processed the deadline and the situation.

"Any questions?" Truman inquired. When no one spoke up, he nodded and headed to the door, Quincy and Clark trailing behind him.

As everyone got up to follow suit Alex blew out a breath. "Well, that was cheerful."

"Got to keep us focused somehow," Davis explained. "What better way than to tell the truth?"

"Hmm, I think I prefer the round-about pretend-this-is-a-pleasure-cruise method," she replied airily. "At least I could _pretend_ I'd get a mimosa or something."

Everyone but Will chuckled as they headed out to the hallways.

"That's what you need to do, kid," Tucker advised.

Alex shot him a look. "Kid?"

He ignored her and continued, "Don't focus on the asteroid; focus on each step. First you have to make it to the shuttle and then take off. Try not to worry about the rock until you have to. Ok?"

"I still want to know how I get called 'kid'," she insisted.

"Is that all you took from that?"

"It's the only part I couldn't figure out for myself." She made a face at him and laughed.

"At least I know _someone_ on my team isn't always doom and gloom," Gruber observed happily.

"What do you mean?"

"Sharp doesn't like to relax enough to have a good time," Davis laughed. "Huh, Sharp?"

Will rolled his eyes and shook his head at his fellow Airman. "I'll see you guys in the morning." He motioned for Alex to hang back for a moment. "Are you heading to your room?" he inquired quietly.

"I was gonna see if Harry needed me for anything else tonight first. I wouldn't mind not being woken up for something he forgot…" She shot him a heated look. "Especially if I'm not sleeping until late."

He stifled his grin as a group of engineers passed by. They were silent until they were certain they wouldn't be overheard once more.

"Can I have your key? I'll meet you there."

"Sure. I shouldn't be too terribly long." She reached into her pocket and cleared her throat, raising her voice to normal conversation level. "Will that be all, Colonel?"

"That's all, Miss Frost."

She held out the hand that had been in her pocket and he took it, shaking it as she passed him the key.

"Good night, Colonel." She turned and headed down the hallway where Harry had disappeared.

Will smiled and shook his head, hoping Stamper would keep her long enough for him to do what he wanted to get done.

Alex caught up to Chick as he followed their friends out of the hangar. Harry stopped and rounded on the guys who were tailing him.

"Hey, Rock, you know, wait a minute. Let me get a pencil and a piece of paper, I wanna jot down all your pearls of wisdom."

Her interest piqued, she sat on the steps by Harry's best friend as they listened in on the conversation.

"Oh, get serious here," Rock insisted. "You know, we're off trottin' the globe huntin' down mud, Gracie grew up to become a full-blown hottie, ya know?"

"Harry-" Max began.

"She's a babe," Rock added.

"She's fully hot. She's-"

"Max! Max!" Harry interrupted. "Ok, you're talkin' about my little girl, all right? I think I know who and what she is, ok?"

Alex propped her elbows on her knees in intrigue as Oscar piped in.

"Ok, but Harry, all we're sayin' is we're talkin' about a kid who's comin into her own right now. And she's getting curious about her body and she's exploring her sexuality. You know what?"

Alex dropped her forehead onto her palm as she listened.

"Oscar." Harry stared at him, flabbergasted.

"That's a natural thing."

"You are about five minutes older than Grace is. Why should I listen to you?"

"I know what it feels like to have your hormones pulling you in just, you know, a thousand different directions. You don't know which end is up."

Bear's deep voice cut in. "Yo, Harry. No disrespect, man, but we _all _ helped to raise her. So in part, we all feel like a bunch of daddies here."

"That's true," Rock agreed.

"Well I'll be damned if I worked all these years so my little girl can marry a roughneck. She's better than that."

Alex and Chick both looked over at Harry in surprise. She felt Chick's gaze turn to her, but her eyes stayed on the man she had thought of a father for the last three years.

"She's better than all of us," Harry asserted.

Her jaw tightened and she pushed away from the stair.

"Lexie…"

Chick's tone was understanding but Alex brushed him off, knowing that if she was comforted right now then she wouldn't be able to ignore the hurt she felt. She took off down the hallway, heading towards her room. Harry noticed her for the first time and swore under his breath. He started after her, calling out to her. When she ignored him, he picked up his pace.

"Alex, hold up a minute."

She stopped and turned to him, her face closed off. "What?"

"Alex, what I said back there…I didn't mean you."

"No, you meant my brother. The only flesh and blood I have left; my _twin_," she clarified. "He's not good enough, right?"

Harry looked away, trying to figure out how to make her understand what he meant. "Alex…"

"It's ok, Harry. You don't have to like A.J.; Lord knows I don't half the time. But he is my _family_ and if he thinks he's man enough to ask Grace to be his wife, then good on him. At least you know he wasn't lying when he said he loved her. But more than that, if _Grace_ thinks he's good enough, then I have no problem welcoming her with open arms into the Frost family." She stepped up toe-to-toe with Harry and looked him in the eye, her own eyes icy, "But if you try to keep my brother from being happy, Harry, then you're going to find you have more than one problem on your hands. You'll lose the best man working for you again. But more than that, I'm pretty sure you'll lose your only daughter, too. I know Grace well enough to know that she's not going to walk away from a man who makes her happy. If that man happens to be my brother then deal with it." She took three steps away before facing him again. "And Harry, if A.J.'s not good enough, then neither am I."

She turned and stopped short as she saw A.J. standing off to the side. His face was filled with shock so she shook her head and made her way to her room. The door was locked, so she knocked, staring at it in puzzlement. Will answered and smiled down at her and the recent events fled to the back of her mind.

"Just in time," he told her.

"In time for what?"

He pushed the door open further and she saw that he'd moved her side table out and placed two chairs around it. On the tabletop, a small candle burned and two plates from the cafeteria were filled with food. She took the next few steps inside, processing what she saw as Will closed the door behind her. He leaned against it for a moment and watched as her fingertips barely touched the tabletop. He was pleased with himself for surprising her completely.

"What-what is all this?" she asked, her voice not quite steady.

He pushed off of the wall and stood by her. "Well, I figured that, right now, this is as close as I can get to taking you out on a date."

"A date?"

He smiled as she blinked at him. "Yeah, Rig Rat, a date. You act like no one's taken you out before," he joked. He took her hand and led her to a seat. After she was seated, he sat across from her. "I know it's not a very _good_ date, but given the circumstances, I don't think I did too badly."

"I-I've never had anyone do anything like this for me…"

"Are you okay, Alex?"

"I don't know how to act," she admitted honestly. "I'm not used to the whole…" she waved her had to indicate the dinner. "_This_."

"Have you never been on a date before?"

"Well…I went on one date with Oscar when I first went to work for Harry. He took me to a drive-in movie and tried to make out almost the entire time."

"Ok, what about before then?"

"Nope. I was focused on school and then training. Besides, nobody was interested."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing: she had honestly never been on a real date. True, he'd been out of the game for a while, but at least he had experience. "

"What about Noonan?"

"Freddy?"

"Yeah, you and he seem…_chummy_."

She didn't cat the edge in his voice. "He and I didn't date, per say. It was more of a-uh, well…"

"Fuck buddies?"

She gave him a look. "I wasn't going to put it so crass, but yeah. Our relationship was physical for a while. Then we stopped and he's been one of my best friends since."

"You just stopped?" It was obvious he didn't fully believe her.

"Yeah, we stopped without any problems. It was obvious to both of us that we weren't compatible as far as a relationship went, but we still cared about each other. So there wasn't any problems." She was more than a little upset by his tone. "And I suppose all of your relationships have been perfect."

He blinked at her for a moment before inclining his head. "Fair point. And no, they weren't perfect. I was married before, for five years."

She froze with her fork in her plate. "Married?" She mulled it over for a moment and shook her head. "I forget sometimes that I know almost nothing about you."

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze steady on her. "I do too," he admitted.

After a few moments of silence, Alex began to giggle. Will stared at her, startled.

"What's so funny?"

"This whole predicament," she admitted, still laughing. "The world might end in a few days and right now all I'm worried about is that you think I'm ridiculous because I've never really been on a date."

Will stood up and pulled her into his arms. He smiled as he looked down into her eyes. "Hey, how about this: Before this is all over, I'll take you on a real date."

"A real date?"

"Yes, Rig Rat, a _real_ first date. I'll even sleep in my own bed after."

She quirked a brow playfully. "That wasn't the plan for tonight?"

He tightened his grip on her hips and his eyes darkened with desire. Alex's breath caught and her mouth went dry as he gazed down at her. He bent towards her, his arms wrapping around her fully and bringing her closer. He froze before their lips met.

"Just say the words and I'll walk out the door," he murmured. When she shook her head, he leaned closer. "Say it," he demanded.

"Stay," she whispered.

His lips curved as he moved the last inch to crush his mouth to hers. She made a noise of pleasure and wrapped her arms around him. She bit his bottom lip and he groaned, lifting her off of her feet and falling with her on to the mattress. He held himself over her and gazed down in hunger and found the look reflected on her face.

"What is it about you that makes me lose every ounce of control I have?"

She unzipped his flight suit and smiled up at him. "I guess I'm just lucky like that."

As her hands slid along his skin, his pulse raced and he kissed her deeply. "It makes it almost impossible to go slow."

"Who said anything about going slow?" she murmured seductively as her hand glided lower. "I'm a big fan of making you lose control."

Will collapsed next to Alex, his arm resting on her stomach. They were both panting like they'd run a marathon and were covered in a sheen of sweat. Under his arm, Alex trembled slightly from the intensity of the night.

"Best date ever," she murmured breathlessly, eliciting an equally breathy laugh from him.

When their labored breathing had subsided, Will pulled the sheet over them and held Alex close as they drifted off.

Grace walked down the hallway, gazing down at her left hand periodically. As she looked at the ring, the bubble of happiness inside her continued to grow and she smiled giddily. The last thing she wanted to do was leave her new fiancé's side, but she felt like _she _should be the one to tell Alex. A.J. had told her that his twin had stood up to Harry and told him to butt out of their relationship. The news had surprised Grace, who assumed Alex would take Harry's side, but she was grateful. Besides, if they were going to be sisters, she wanted to be the first to tell her.

She reached the room she was supposed to be sharing with Alex and frowned when she discovered it was locked. _I guess she didn't want them waking her up. They've all been working her to the bone, she must be exhausted_. She fished her key out and unlocked the door, slipping in.

"Alex?" she whispered.

As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she froze. Alex was draped across someone's chest, though she couldn't see who it was, and Grace could tell that she wasn't wearing anything under the sheet. She stood gaping in shock but was roused when Alex moaned and rolled over. Grace stifled her gasp, fearing she'd been discovered. Alex's eyes stayed shut as she laced her fingers with the mystery man's. He turned and curled his body around her, his arms tightening slightly. Grace's eyes grew wide as her jaw dropped. Colonel Sharp was in Alex's bed. She was completely shocked and couldn't budge for almost a full minute. She finally shook herself and moved back towards the door. She shot a final look towards her friend and noted the smile that spread across her face as she cuddled into the colonel's arms before closing and locking the door once more.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Alex sat in the cafeteria reading through her notes while she ate. She glanced up in curiosity when the spot in front of her became occupied.

"Hey, Grace," she greeted. "What's up?"

"I wanted to be the one to tell you that A.J. proposed last night," Grace explained softly.

She placed her left hand on the table and Alex smiled at the ring.

"I'm happy for you," she told her friend. "For both of you."

"Thank you."

Alex expected her to go and join A.J. after sharing her good news and was surprised when Grace didn't move.

"Um, is there something else?"

"I was going to tell you last night…I was so happy and after A.J. told me that you stood up to Harry…I thought you should be the first to know."

"I appreciate that." Grace had been staring at her with such a sad look that Alex was beginning to grow concerned. "Grace, is everything ok?"

"How much do you know about Colonel Sharp?" she inquired abruptly.

Alex blinked in surprise as her heart raced. "Uh, Colonel Sharp? Not much. Probably about as much as everyone else I guess. Well, maybe a little more since we spend so much time together. Why do you ask?"

"You need to be careful, Alex," Grace warned. "This is an unreal situation…things will be completely different once this is over…one way or the other. You need to remember that when it comes to falling in love right now."

Alex swallowed her shock and covered it with a chuckle, her face a mask of bemusement. "Grace, I think your love bubble is making you see things. I'm not falling in love with anyone. With what time would I have to even consider anyone?" She chuckled again. "Besides, none of the guys are my type. I think of them as brothers, same as you. 'Falling in love'? I couldn't possibly-"

"I saw you and the colonel last night," she revealed quietly, stunning Alex into silence. She continued as her friend stared at her, frozen in shock. "I wanted to tell you about the engagement and to thank you for defending my relationship. I went to the room and found you both asleep. I won't tell anyone; it's your personal business. I know that you had guessed A.J. and I were together and you kept it to yourself. But I don't want you to get hurt. Remember that you know almost nothing about him. We're all stuck here right now, but the outside world is still there…and soon enough we all have to get back to it. Just be careful, Alex."

Grace squeezed Alex's clenched fist as it rested on the table before walking off to find her fiancé. It wasn't long before Alex could feel his gaze on her from across the room and she forced herself out of her stupor. She knew she had to get out of the cafeteria and began gathering her notebooks to make her escape.

"Are you ok?" Will asked quietly as he stood in her way.

"Oh, uh…yeah…yeah, everything is fine." She forced her voice and demeanor to remain calm but she was beginning to lose it. She needed to get out of there and find a quiet place to freak out and then think. "I gotta be somewhere," she explained, stepping to the side.

He laid a hand on her elbow. "Where? Watts said you aren't meeting for another hour."

"Well, I need to be somewhere else." _Please, let me go_, she begged him silently.

"What's wrong?" he pressed, picking up on her barely-contained hysteria.

She stepped back from him quickly as he placed both hands on her elbows. She couldn't take it if he was nice to her right now, she'd tell him everything. So she turned to the only emotion that could stave off her panic: anger.

"Nothing," she snapped, catching him by surprise. "Except that you're keeping me from things I need to do. Now excuse me, Colonel Sharp."

He watched as she hastily exited and shook his head. He had no idea what had changed in the hour since they had separated to shower and get ready for the day. Everything had been more than fine before.

Alex sat in the simulator, running automatically through sequences without much conscious thought. Everything in her was focused on the newest problem. She should have known better than to get involved with anyone. Grace was right; this wasn't real. Everything about this situation was so bizarre that any type of relationship begun now was doomed to fail. This was supposed to have been about relieving the tension between them…but now, she had trouble imaging falling asleep without him there. She shook her head at her own ridiculousness; a night without him would be no different than a night with him. She decided she wouldn't let anything happen anymore; she would sleep alone from then on…

She caught her breath as her chest tightened at the thought. _No, there is no way I am in love with him_. She shook her head again as her fingertips rested over her heart. _Grace was wrong; I can't be in love with Will_. As she silently tried to convince herself of the ludicrousness of such an idea, her stomach erupted into butterflies. Her eyes flew open in astonishment. _Does this mean…_

Her thoughts were interrupted when the hatch opened. Jennifer climbed in with a smile.

"You're here early."

"Uh, yeah," Alex replied, forcing herself to focus on Watts. "I knew I was going to be kept pretty busy today so I thought I might as well get started."

"Good work ethic, but I hope you're not like this outside of here. You're going to work yourself to death," she joked.

Alex forced a chuckle and they began their work.

As the day went on, Alex tried to force any thought of her problems, and the possible revelation, from her mind, but they constantly snuck back in. Her wayward thoughts plus a very late night pushed her to the edge of her nerves. She avoided any chance of being alone with Will and she knew he noticed. She battled internally trying to figure everything out while putting on a normal front for her co-workers. She was riding on the edge of her nerves now and the internal dilemma was exhausting her.

Soon enough she found herself sitting in a corner of the observation room for the pool. A.J.'s team was running through the drilling sequence and Alex was monitoring for any problems that needed to be seen to. She was diligently taking notes when the realization hit her: they were running out of time.

_Really, brain, like I'm not freaking out enough right now?_

"Ok, gentlemen we're gonna trick 'em up," one of the NASA guys informed the room, pulling her back to the real world. "The computer will simulate a gas pocket at 625 feet and then hard iron ferrite at 635."

Freddy's voice came from the speakers as they worked. "I'm gonna drop some more O2 in."

"Bear, I'm takin' her up," A.J. warned.

"I'm givin' it more torque right now."

"All right, lookin' good, Bear," Harry commended from the room. "Clamp it down. Watch your time, Independence team."

"Thanks, Harry," A.J. fired back. "Would you mind letting me run my own team?"

"You're gonna blow the tranny, A.J.," Bear cautioned. "Slow it down, baby."

"Take it easy, Bear, just relax. She can handle it."

Alex watched her brother as Harry continued to dictate. "A.J., you're at 600 feet. Your pipe is long; let's back the RPMs down to eight thousand."

"We don't have time for eight thousand," the younger man countered.

"A.J., take it back down. You're gonna snap the pipe, I don't wanna blow this transmission."

"Damn it, eleven thousand."

"Slow it down, A.J.," Bear advised.

Oscar jumped to his friend's defense. "Bear, come on, get on our team for a bit."

Alex and the rest of the room watched with a growing sense of dread.

"Woah, space cowboy," the NASA guy commented, earning a look from Alex.

"Are you listening to this, Harry?" Bear questioned.

"Yeah, I'm listenin', Bear," Harry replied softly, his eyes meeting Alex's across the room.

"Hey, you don't work for Harry anymore, ok?" A.J. reminded Bear. "You gotta listen to me. When we're on that rock you gotta do what I say. Now send more O2 through the turbine, I'm throttling up to eleven thousand."

"A.J., back it off, you're gonna blow the transmission-"

"Hey, Harry! Would you let me run my team, please?"

"RPMs are at redline," Sharp warned.

"Bear, God damn it, I know what I'm doing," A.J. affirmed. "Come on, she can handle it, she'll be fine. Trust me."

Harry started to warn A.J. again but it was too late. The screens went black as the techs called out the problem.

"Transmission overload."

"Number one transmission is down."

Oscar cursed but A.J. stubbornly maintained his view. "The computer's wrong and you know that. We did the right thing."

Alex watched as the disappointment showed all over Harry's face. She felt for him. But A.J. was going to run his team how he thought he should and Harry wouldn't be there to save him during the mission.

"If you want to replace a member of the crew, now's the time," Sharp advised Harry.

"I'll take care of this." He motioned for Alex to follow him as he spoke into his headset. "Get 'em out of the tank, Chick."

Alex trailed after Harry and stood beside Max as their boss faced off with her brother yet again.

"You wanna go home? Is that it? You want to be fired?"

"No, I don't. My crew was doing the right thing."

"Your crew?" Harry exclaimed as Truman, Sharp, and Davis came up behind them. "Your crew just blew the transmission, A.J.!"

"Listen, that NASA computer is just playing it safe. The machine you built, the rig, can do it." He spotted Alex over Harry's shoulder. "Lexie, you know the rig can handle it-"

"Shut up, A.J.," Harry warned.

"-just back me up-"

"Just shut up!" Harry yelled, grabbing A.J. by the neck of his suit. "Shut your mouth! Those men in that room have zero tolerance for showin' off, hot-doggin', goin' by your gut instinct, or you tryin' to be a hero. You got that?" He paused and A.J. looked away. "Say the words, A.J.!"

"I got it!" A.J. glared at his boss defiantly.

Harry stepped back and took the notebook from Alex. While he read, she ventured closer to her twin.

"A.J.-"

"You could've backed me up," he accused quietly.

"We don't know if the rig will be different," she reminded him. "Harry's playing it on the safe side, just in case."

"You guys built it; it can handle everything we throw at it, Lex."

A shadow of doubt entered her gaze. "I hope so…"

"What are you doing here, Miss Frost? Truman asked her. "Shouldn't you be practicing with Watts?"

Before she could answer, Harry responded for her. "She needed a break from that."

"She won't get a break when we're in space," Sharp reminded him.

Alex opened her mouth to interrupt, but Harry beat her to it again. "I'm looking out for her."

Will's eyes turned steeley. "So am I."

"She needs a break."

"She needs to be prepared."

Max glanced at Alex and frowned in concern. Her jaw was tight and hands were clenched into fists. He took a step back in self-preservation.

"I need her to finish loking over the Armadillos."

"No, she needs to be with Watts for flight prep."

"I _need _for everyone to stop discussing my life as if I'm not standing right here!" she exploded, making everyone jump slightly. "If it's on my to-do list, it'll get done! Now, everyone, get off of my ass and let me do what I need to in _my own time_!" She snatched the notebook back from Harry and stormed off.

Will's gaze followed her, concern filling him. He saw Harry motion for Truman and joined them as they walked through the hall.

"I want my guys to have tomorrow night off," Harry informed Truman.

Dan blinked in surprise. "What do you mean 'off'?"

"I mean off; out of here for at least ten hours. Then we'll go to Kennedy."

"Well there's no possible way we can do that, Harry. That's a potentially _huge _security risk. What if they talk? What if they get hurt?"

"What if they're too burned out to do the right thing? What if they get up there and they forget what they're fighting for?" Harry retorted. "You see what's goin' on, they're all ready to snap. None of them asked to be here, they got pulled off the street. For all we know tomorrow night could be the last night they see Earth." He stopped walking and rounded on Truman. "I don't think it's too much to ask to let 'em spend it with their families."

"Well, listen, there's no possible way-"

Harry interrupted him. "You got family, Colonel?"

"Two girls," Will answered.

"Wouldn't you like to spend tomorrow night with your little girls?"

Will glanced at Truman, the answer clear, and knew that Harry had won the argument.

"I'm not askin' ya, I'm tellin' ya. Make this happen."

Later that evening Will searched for Alex. She had been avoiding him all day and he had no idea why. Things had been fine, but now she wouldn't even meet his gaze. She went out of her way to avoid being alone with him and then she blew up at him and Harry. It was time for an explanation.

He found her in the jet hangar surrounded by notebooks and flight manuals. She was so engrossed in reading that she didn't hear him walking towards her. He took a moment to study her and what he saw worried him more. She was exhausted. He felt a twinge of guilt for that, but he knew that when they fell asleep, she slept hard. And he had been making sure she was left in peace at night, for both of their benefit. She always woke refreshed, but the bags under her eyes revealed how much she pushed herself during the day. He also noticed that she radiated with tension. Was Harry right? Was Alex on the verge of breaking down?

"Alex."

She jumped slightly, dropping her notes. She swore and started gathering the pages.

"How can I help you, Colonel?"

Will's eyebrow arched and he scanned the hangar. They were completely alone. So what was with the distance she placed between them?

"What are you doing in here?"

"I thought this would be a good place to study. I didn't think anyone would look for me here." She blew out a breath and muttered, "Guess I was wrong."

"Do I get to know what upset you? Or are you just going to keep punishing me in my ignorance?"

"I'm not punishing you."

"You make sure we're not alone all day, won't look at me, snap at me…kinda sounds like I'm being blamed for something. So if you want an apology, I need to know why."

"I don't want an apology for anything." She sighed and stopped gathering her papers. "We can't do this anymore."

Will stared at her for a moment, automatically slipping his military mask into place. "I see. I still don't get to know why, I suppose?"

"It's better this way. We're running out of training time and we need to focus. I have so much to catch up on…"

"I didn't realize I was holding you back," he told her, his tone flat. "I'll go then, let you get back to your studying."

"Grace knows," Alex admitted softly. She wouldn't meet his gaze but she could feel him staring at her. "She came to talk to me last night when we were asleep. It complicates things…This wasn't supposed to be something that got out…" She tried to ignore the painful tightening in her chest. "Besides, I should be focusing, right? You need to trust that I can hold my own when we go up there…I don't want to let anyone down. You have all put your faith in me that I can do this job and I won't disappoint you."

He studied her worried expression and felt that he'd finally found what was constantly on her mind. The world relied on their leaders to save them from danger, the government was relying on NASA, NASA was relying on Harry's team, and every single member of both crews were relying on Alex in some way. She was one of the youngest members of the crew and so much weight rested on her shoulders. Could he fault her for making a responsible decision like this?

"Okay, you're right. We all need to focus," he conceded. "I'll give you the space you need to concentrate on your job. Good night, Miss Frost."


	10. Chapter 10

***AN: I am sorry this update took so long. I decided I hated having any life and took two English classes this semester. Luckily, next week is finals week! **** I took a break from studying to type up this chapter because you guys have been so amazing and encouraging as you asked for the next installment. So here it is. Thank you for your patience and I hope you like it. -KN**

Alex finished writing and closed the notebook she'd been working in, pulling a large binder full of information for the X-71 in front of her. This would be the perfect time to study since everyone had gone off to enjoy their time off. Grace had just left to spend the rest of the day with A.J., for which Alex was immensely grateful. Once more her future sister-in-law had showed up and shattered Alex's calm. Alex doodled absentmindedly as she recalled their latest encounter:

"_Hey, Alex." _

_She glanced up as Grace entered their shared room. "Hi, Grace."_

_She sat at the foot of Alex's bed, staring at her. "Are you okay?"_

"_I'm fine," she responded, her tone flat. "Just busy."_

"_Did you have a fight with Colonel Sharp? I noticed you haven't been around him as much since our talk yesterday."_

"_No, we didn't have a fight. We agreed we both needed to focus on our jobs at the moment and that's what we're doing." She made notes from the manual she was studying as she tried to ignore Grace._

"_So that's it? You guys broke up?"_

"_It's not a 'break up', Grace. We have responsibilities to concentrate on and that's it. Besides, we weren't actually together in that way. We just…well, it's almost the same situation Freddy and I had when we ended things."_

"_You weren't upset when you and Noonan stopped sleeping together," Grace reminded her._

"_And I'm not upset now."_

_Grace was not convinced and moved to stand beside her friend's chair. "I shouldn't have said anything yesterday. I was worried about you…I thought he might have been taking advantage of the situation; you know, end of the world and all. But if you really do care for him, then I should have kept my mouth shut. I'm sorry."_

"_There's nothing to apologize for. You were right; this is hardly the time to get involved with anyone. We're supposed to be saving the world…and then we'll all get on with the lives we had before being stuck in this place."_

"_Alex...Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you don't care for him?" _

_Alex stopped writing but other that, she didn't move. She was saved from coming up with a response when A.J. knocked on the open door. He smiled at his fiancé._

"_You ready?"_

"_Yeah." She glanced down at Alex once more and squeezed her writing hand. "Do what you need to be happy."_

"_Have fun," she told the couple._

Another knock on her door brought her focus back and she found that she had doodled all over the paper in front of her while she was remembering. She made a face and crumpled up the paper before turning to the open door.

"Hey, Chick." She smiled at her older friend.

"Hey, Lexie," he greeted her, leaning against the door frame. "What are you still doing here? I thought you'd be out."

"Out where?" she asked with a laugh. "The love-fest with A.J. and Grace? Or the strip club the guys were planning on enjoying? I'm good, thanks."

"You don't want to go anywhere?"

"There's nowhere to go. I'll be fine, Chick," she assured him with a smile. She noted the toy shuttle he carried and her face softened. "Denise lives near here?" She knew that she was one of the few people Chick had told about his family.

"Yeah…I know I can't see him, but…" He regarded the toy sadly. "I think I'm long overdue for an apology."

Alex surprised him by wrapping her arms around him. He blew out a breath and gave her a quick squeeze. She felt some of the tension leave his body and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Stop wasting time worrying about me; this is way more important. And…I'm proud of you."

He shot her a crooked smile. "Thanks, Lexie."

"Go," she ordered and watched him walk down the hall with a smile. Chick was one of her favorite people and she hoped things went well with his ex-wife. He deserved a break.

Restless, she made her way through the halls. She'd been honest with Chick; she really had nowhere to go. The only reason she had put on regular clothes was to break the monotony of the NASA coveralls. Her guys had seen her dressed up and had assumed she had plans, although they still invited her to join in their fun. As far as she knew, everyone else was off saying their good-byes if they could. For the first time since they'd gotten to Houston, Alex felt alone.

Will made his way to the front of the NASA building where his truck waited for him. Last night had been rough and he'd kept himself as busy as possible so that he didn't wind up outside of Alex's room. It still completely threw him for a loop how far she'd gotten under his skin. He'd thought the feeling was mutual, but perhaps he was wrong. Or maybe he was right and it freaked her out.

He shook his head at his thoughts and pushed open the door. He paused to let his eyes adjust to the light and was surprised to see Alex sitting on the concrete steps. She was leaning on her elbows, eyes on the sky, and Will felt his pulse trip over itself. He made his way over to her and sat down.

"Waiting on someone?"

She turned to him and he was pleased to see her eyes light up before she caught herself and dropped her gaze. Even so, he was pretty sure he had his answer about her feelings.

"No," she admitted. "I'm just enjoying the fresh air."

"You don't have anyone you want to see?"

She shook her head. "Everyone I care about has been here the whole time."

Her gaze once again rested on the skies and he could see the worry on her face. He stood suddenly, offering her his hand.

"Come on."

"What?"

"Come for a ride."

"Sharp…"

"As the man who has to fly with you, I'm telling you that you need to get away from here for a little while. A whole night of worrying won't help you tomorrow."

She stared at his hand skeptically for a beat before placing her palm against his. He pulled her to her feet and released her hand quickly, noting in satisfaction that she rubbed where their skin had touched. He unlocked the truck and they climbed in, heading out of the gate. They rode in silence for a while before Alex turned to him and spoke her mind.

"I don't think I can do this."

"You're the passenger," he reminded her, intentionally being obtuse. "You're not really supposed to _do_ anything." He felt her glare and successfully stifled his smile, maintaining a pleasantly blank expression.

"I meant tomorrow. I'm not ready. I don't know if I'll ever be ready to go into space, let alone with the weight of the future of our planet resting on our mission. I'm sure there's someone else who actually has experience with this kind of thing. I'm not the right girl for the job-"

Will recognized the slight hysteria to her tone and reached over, wrapping his hand around her clenched fist. She blew out a breath as his touch calmed her mania and tried to slow her breathing. He kept his hand wrapped around hers and she clung to it as she steadied herself.

"Can I talk now?" he asked gently. He saw her nod meekly out of the corner of his eye. "You have done more since I've met you than anyone could have expected of you. You helped Harry and his teams while learning a job that takes years to master, and you surprised everyone by excelling. If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't have let you get this far. I trust you to fly with me."

She let his reassurance sink in. "Thank you," she told him quietly.

"Just tellin' you the truth."

She nodded and sat quietly for a moment, thinking. It took her a while to notice that their hands were still wrapped around each other. When she did, she loosened her fingers but he didn't move.

"Colonel Sharp…"

"Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Call me 'Colonel' or 'Sharp' when you're trying to distance yourself?"

"It's what everyone else calls you."

"I haven't slept with everyone else."

She flushed pink. "That's not the point. We agreed that we both need to focus on the job."

"We're not working tonight, Alex," he reminded her.

"Well…still, there's no reason to make this into more than it is."

"And what is it exactly?"

"Sex," she insisted, trying to convince herself as much as him. "A way to relieve tension."

"That's how it started, yeah," he agreed. "But if that's all it is, then why does this feel so comfortable?" He laced his fingers with hers and felt a slight tingle where their skin met.

She couldn't come up with a good answer so she remained quiet. Will finally understood that he couldn't push her or she'd run from him. He had to wait for her to come to him and he realized that he didn't mind waiting. He still couldn't help his smile when she didn't try to take her hand from his.

Will parked the truck outside of a house in a small town outside of Houston. As he cut the engine and climbed out, Alex looked around, not sure what to do. Will glanced back and motioned her out with a jerk of his head. She opened the door and stepped out, still completely confused. She came around the truck and froze when a squeal of joy broke the silence on the street. She watched as two young girls raced out of the house and slammed into Will. He laughed as he ended up on his rear in the grass. She smiled as she saw a new side of Will Sharp as he laughed and hugged the children, her smile freezing into place when she finally understood what the girls were squealing.

Her back met metal when she fell against the truck, leaning against it as her mind processed. He had told her he was divorced but he had never said anything about being a father. She couldn't really blame him; it's not as if she'd asked. Besides, everything was always more physical when they got time alone. Did it bother her that he had kids? It was clear to see that he loved his daughters and they adored him. She felt her lips curve involuntarily as she watched them and admitted to herself that it really didn't bother her at all that he was father. In fact, she felt her chest tighten slightly as she witnessed this side of him.

After a few moments, the younger of the two spotted the woman leaning against the truck and hid behind her dad's shoulder, peeking out. The elder tugged on his shirt and pointed to Alex. He smiled gently at them as he pushed himself up to kneel between them.

"It's okay; she's a friend of mine. Would you like to say hi?"

They nodded shyly and he looked over at Alex. Her eyes were hard to read as she pushed off of the truck and drew closer.

"Girls, this is my friend, Alexandra," he told them. He studied her as he introduced his daughters. "This is Rebekah and Sophie."

Alex crouched in front of them, a friendly smile on her face. "You can call me Alex," she told them as they stared at her.

The little one, Sophie, giggled. "Alex is a boy's name," she told her.

"Is it?" Alex's eyes were wide with surprise, causing both girls to giggle. "I don't _think_ I'm a boy, so we'll have to come up with something else to call me. Alexandra is a _really_ long name."

"How about Lexie?" Rebekah offered.

Alex grinned. "I like Lexie. Only my really special friends call me that."

Both faces lit up at the news that they could call her by a special name.

"I'm Becky. I only get called Rebekah when I'm in trouble."

Will watched as Alex laughed at the face Becky made. She didn't seem upset that he had sprung his girls on her.

"How old are you?"

"I'm eight."

"I'm five!" Sophie told her excitedly.

"Do you work with our daddy?" Becky asked.

Alex nodded. "Your daddy taught me how to fly."

"I'm gonna fly, too," Sophie informed her. "I'm gonna be the best pilot in the world, like Daddy."

Alex grinned at her. "I bet you'll be better than your daddy one day."

"Daddy, are you leaving again?"

"Yeah, Butterfly, I have to go away again. But I'll be back soon, okay? Then you can come to my house for a little while again. Does that sound good?"

Both girls nodded and soon had to say their good-byes so they could go in to dinner. As they drove off, Will gave her time to digest everything. They had driven for almost half an hour before she broke the silence.

"So…kids."

Will's lips thinned slightly, fearing she was upset. "Yeah."

"You could've given me some warning." Her tone was that of polite conversation, not anger.

"You're right. Sorry."

"Should I prepare myself for any other surprises or was this it?"

"This wasn't necessarily planned," he reminded her. "I mean, I was going to see the girls, but I didn't think you were going to be with me. I just saw you sitting outside and decided to ask you to join me."

"You felt sorry for me."

The accusation was evident in her voice and Will knew he was on dangerous ground. "Not sorry for you," he corrected her calmly. "I worry about you, Alex. You've been under a lot of stress lately, more so than almost everyone that's on this mission. It was a good idea to have the night off tonight…everyone needs a break from the stress; have a chance to pretend ignorance about what's coming. A change to be with the people who love them before everything gets crazy"

"So why aren't you staying with your kids?"

He shook his head. "I can't break the schedule. I'm sure Jenna wouldn't stop me if she knew why, but it would only make the girls upset if they thought this was different than any other deployment I've been on. I don't want to make them worry until I don't have a choice."

Alex blinked at him for a moment in surprise before clearing her throat. "Well. I don't have to worry about that. Everyone I care about is flying with us, remember?"

"Why aren't you going out with them tonight?"

"They all have family to be with before their night out." Her shoulders rose and fell nonchalantly. "The only family I have is off with his fiancé. I wouldn't take a moment from then right now."

"Why not? He's your brother; your twin. Shouldn't he spend part of tonight with you?"

Alex was shaking her head. "I love him because he's my brother," she tried to explain. "Grace loves him because he's A.J." A smile softened her features. "If you're lucky enough to have it, you should spend your last night with the person you love."

Will's gaze bored into hers as they sat at a red light. "If you're lucky enough to have someone," he agreed, his eyes conveying more than his words.

The light turned green, drawing Will's attention back to the road as Alex's heart thundered in her chest. Her mind raced with the possibilities of what his gaze might have held. Did he mean he felt for her like that? No, he was just agreeing with her statement. But still, did she want to pass up a night with him? She had missed him so much the night before; not just the sex, but his presence while she slept. She could finally admit, with the looming uncertainty of the future pressing closer every moment, that she loved him. And if someone was lucky enough to have that, even if it was one sided…

"Will…"

"Alex, I want to be with you tonight," he interrupted. "I know you said you needed space, but I don't want to. Not tonight. Tonight I need you with me, in my arms."

A moment passed before she whispered, "Me too."

Silence stretched between them as her quiet agreement took him by surprise. "Really?"

Her palm slid into his as she interlocked their fingers. "I don't know of anyone I'd rather spend possibly my last night on Earth with."

"Well…that didn't take much convincing."

"I didn't want to argue…you might have changed your mind."

He laughed as he lifted their joined hands to his lips. The kiss was gentle, making Alex's insides melt instantly. "I would have argued with you all night, as long as it meant you stayed with me."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

Alex grunted as her safety straps were tightened and tried to focus on keeping her breathing calm and controlled. She retraced the steps that lead up to her sitting where she was and smiled as she remembered the previous night. For the first time since they'd met, there hadn't been the need to rush. They had spent the night relishing the feeling of being together and had fallen asleep still wrapped up in each other. When morning forced them to face reality once more, she had done so with a heightened sense of belonging and faith that they could do this.

On the bus and plane to Kennedy, she tried to sleep as much as she could. Not only to make up for the time she wouldn't sleep in the next handful of days, but to try to remain as calm as possible. They'd all been in the same room to get suited up before heading to the launch bays and she had taken that time to memorize the faces surrounding her, burning them into her memory so that no matter what happened, she'd remember the day they became heroes.

Once dressed, they made their way to the hangar where they would wait before bussing to the shuttles. Part of their brief that morning had been to prepare them for the media storm that waited for them. The asteroid was no longer a secret and they were now front page news. She had hoped she wouldn't have to deal with any type of press and the crews had been assured they would not be messed with before the flight. As they filed out to prepare to present themselves to the world, the seriousness was disrupted when she heard her brother singing and turned to watch as he serenaded Grace to say good-bye. When Bear, Rockhound, and Max joined in, Alex couldn't help but smile.

"Great, now that song is going to be stuck in my head," she muttered.

Sharp glanced down as she took her place on his right, her helmet under her arm. "You ready?"

"To save the planet? Oh yeah. Trying not to fall on my face while the world watches? We'll see."

A small smile was her reward before the door began to open and everyone's moods became somber and focused. Their world erupted into a frenzy of camera flashes as they waited for the cue to head towards the busses. After a few moments, the astronauts made their way down the designated aisle amid thunderous applause from the onlookers. Once seated, Alex had to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat; she was touched by the support, no matter how desperate the times.

The crews made their way up to the shuttles and rode the elevator in silence. At the top the twins faced each other and shared an embrace before they would have to split into their respective teams.

"Try not to piss anyone off," Alex joked, her voice full of unspoken emotion. "I won't be there to save your butt this time."

A.J. grinned and playfully shoved her shoulder. "I'll see what I can do. You try not to get lost." She laughed. "I'll see you in a few days, okay?"

"Yeah."

She quickly made her way to the cockpit so she didn't get emotional. She still worried about A.J. but she had to trust that he could handle himself. Soon she was going to have her hands full of her own responsibilities; she couldn't afford to take on his, too. She took a deep breath and focused on the here and now.

"Hey, Harry."

"Yeah, Rock?"

"You know we're sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon, and a thing that has 270 thousand moving parts built by the lowest bidder? Makes you feel good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," was the sarcastic reply.

"Rockhound," Alex grunted as another strap was tightened. "I really hate you sometimes."

The technicians finished up the pilots' straps and moved to help secure the rest of her crew. With the helmet on there was nowhere for her to look except up the sky she would soon be hurtling towards. She took another deep, calming breath as the thought made her slightly nauseated. Through the radio she heard Will ask how she was doing.

"I'm ready for the anticipation to be over with," she confessed.

Behind them Rockhound let out a grunt. "Ow. It must be a comfort to know that if the space program goes under you can always get a job at Helga's House of Pain, huh?"

"Rock, how have you never been sued?" Alex questioned him.

"It's a gift."

The rest of the time preparing both flew and seemed to crawl by. Before she knew it, a man with an incredibly nasally voice was on the radio.

"_Independence and Freedom, this is Kennedy Firing Room. We are T-minus one minute. All crew members close and lock your visors."_

"Here we go," Alex whispered as her visor locked into place.

Another man came on the radio. _"Freedom, this is launch control. Be advised we're in a smooth count."_

"_T-minus thirty-one_," Nasally guy informed them. _"You're go for auto sequence start. P.L.T.s perform you're A.P.U. prestart."_

Alex reached out without conscious thought as the hours of simulation time had her doing the launch sequence in her sleep now.

"_Ok, gentlemen."_ Truman's voice filled both shuttles. _"You're our warriors up there. God be with you. You're already heroes, just sit back and enjoy the ride."_

"_We're T-minus twenty seconds,"_ Nasally guy continued the countdown.

They began to shake as the engines came to life.

"_We have main engine start,"_ some one in the control room confirmed.

As the countdown reached one, the shuttle shook harder.

"Booster," Sharp told the control room.

"_We have booster ignition,"_ Kennedy confirmed.

"We're goin'."

"_And liftoff."_

Alex's movements were once more without thought, doing her part in the launch as her body rode out the vibrations as they shot off into the air.

"Going throttle up," Will continued his dialogue with Kennedy.

"_Copy, going throttle up."_

"Start roll maneuver."

"_Freedom, we have max cue."_

"Roger, control," she responded. "We are max cue. S.R.B. sep." They felt a jolt as she flipped the switch to jettison the external boosters. "We are single-engine prestamico."

"_Copy, prestamico."_

The shaking began to slowly cease as the shuttle came out of the roll maneuver once they passed the last of the Earth's atmosphere.

"_Freedom, this is Houston. Main engine cut out on schedule. Out."_

A gasp escaped as Alex lifted her visor. She was in space. The beautiful endless expanse sat before her as she gazed through the window.

"_Freedom, stats are good. Telemetry is up and running."_

Will took off his gloves and unhooked his helmet. "Welcome to space."

Alex followed his example and he was pleased to see the look of absolute wonder he saw across her face. He gave her a small smile and prepared for their next step.

"Houston, we have a visual on the Russian space station. Initiating retro burn."

Truman addressed both crews as they began to unhook themselves from their seats. _"Gentlemen, remember the Russian space station has been up there for eleven years. Most of us don't have _cars_ that old. Now the cosmonaut on board has been on that tin can for eighteen months; alone. So don't be surprised if he's a little…off."_

Alex flipped a switch, giving full control to Sharp. "Ok, guys, time to take off the flight suits."

She quickly removed and stored her space suit and relieved Will so he could do the same. When they were both anchored in the cockpit once more, he turned so he could see her face.

"Doing all right so far?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I haven't screwed anything up yet," she joked, only slightly kidding.

"You won't screw anything up," he told her confidently.

"We'll see…"

He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers, waiting for her to look at him. When they had eye contact he assured her, "I trust you. If anything comes up, we fly this thing together." Her smile was enough to convince him he'd quelled some of her doubt. He squeezed her hand gently and her grin grew, drawing out one of his own.

Behind the cockpit Rockhound and Max free-floated around the shuttle as Harry and Chick hung onto the walls watching them crash into each other. When Max floated close enough, Harry pushed the big man away, laughing as they were pushed into opposite walls. As Chick looked over at his friend, he caught sight of the pilots and nudged his boss. Pursing his lips, Harry pushed off the wall and headed towards the cockpit slowly.

"Hey, Colonel, how long until we reach the space station?" He watched Sharp withdraw his hand from Alex's as his smile disappeared.

"We've got less than half an hour before we dock." Will pointed to a hunk of metal that grew larger in the window as they drew closer. They watched the station fire its thrusters and spin slightly. Harry pushed off the cockpit chairs and floated back towards his crew. Rockhound, who was strapped back in a chair, caught his boss' foot, causing him to start spinning. Sharp turned in his seat to address the group.

"All right, gentlemen, we're gonna dock in a minute. Now the Russian space station has fired her rockets to simulate gravity and let us work a little faster. It's gonna make you queasy so prepare yourselves."

Rockhound pushed Harry lightly once more. "It's about time," he responded. "I haven't thrown up in about an hour."

Alex joined her friends as they chuckled. Rock had his own unique way of lightening a situation. Before long, Sharp nodded in her direction, signaling it was time to get to work. "Everyone strap back in," she instructed the crew.

"Switching to manual."

"Manual override," she confirmed.

Clark's voice came over the radio, _"One foot per second, let's take this slow and do it right, folks."_ As they shuttle drew closer to the hatch he counted down for them. _"Twenty feet…Ten feet… Looking good on radar,"_ he commended. _"Five feet."_ There was a slight bump and Alex flipped the switch to the lock the shuttle in place. _"We have soft dock."_

"Locks are engaged," Alex informed the control room.

Everyone began to unbuckle and stand as Will made his way to the hatch. "Fuel teams, prepare to unload." He turned the handle and pushed it open, stepping into the space station. "All right, gentlemen, watch your heads," he warned, crouching under the low ceiling.

They made their way into the center of many hallways and met with the Independence crew, but there was no cosmonaut to be seen.

"Where is he?" Greuber wondered out loud.

Sharp shrugged before calling out, "Anybody home?"

Both crews jumped slightly when a man dropped down from the ceiling. "Welcome everybody," the cosmonaut greeted them gruffly, his English heavily accented. "I am not gas station. This is sophisticated laboratory, I'm in charge. Do not be touching anything." He scanned the group of me and muttered, "I need…one…" His gaze fell on A.J. and he pointed. "I need you," he ordered before walking away.

"Go with him," Sharp urged.

"I need you. Hurry up! Hurry up. Come on. Very important you watch the fuel gauge." He grabbed a thick coat hanging on the wall and thrust it towards the confused oil driller. "Put on," he explained. "Cold suit." He shrugged into another coat and led A.J. into another room, pointing down a ladder. "Fuel pod is down there."

A.J. gave the ladder a look of distrust. "It's down here, huh? Great."

Will watched the two disappear down the ladder before returning to oversee the transfer preparations. Harry and his crew were gathering and connecting the fuel lines to the shuttle but he broke off for a moment to talk to Alex. He found her in the cockpit once again, monitoring gauges and reading notes attached to a clipboard.

"Copy that, Houston," she spoke into her radio. "We are prepping for fuel transfer."

"_Countdown clock will hold at T-minus twenty minutes."_

"Roger, Houston." She grew quiet as she made a note on her paper, signaling the end of the radio transmission.

"Hey, Angel Eyes."

His greeting brought a small grin as she faced him. "Hey, Harry."

"How ya doin'?"

"I'm okay. It's been a lot of muscle memory, honestly. Glad to know the practice paid off already. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I'm just worried about you…I saw you and the colonel earlier…"

"That was nothing, Harry. He was just helping to calm some lingering fear."

"So he held your hand?"

"Colonel Sharp was reminding me that I'm not flying alone." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Harry. We've all got enough on our plates already. I'll pull my weight."

"That's not-"

"Harry!" Chick interrupted him from the middle of the shuttle. "I need some help clamping these hoses!"

"Yeah, I'm comin'."

As he headed back to help he heard Alex get back on the radio. "Sharp, we're locking in for fuel transfer now."

Harry made his way back to the center of the space station looking for Sharp once the hoses were locked into place. He saw him coming from the opposite direction with the cosmonaut trailing behind.

"Ready for transfusion!" the Russian called as he pressed a button. "Fuel pumping now."

"Can I have a word?" Harry asked Sharp.

"If you make it quick."

"I just thought I'd remind you to focus on the mission."

"What?" Sharp was taken aback.

"Your focus should be on the mission and not on the pretty lady flying next to you."

"You're out of line," Will warned.

"Not when it comes to Alex. I probably should have said something sooner, but I thought you had your priorities right. Concentrate on the mission and stop leading her on."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Stamper," he responded, his tone angry although his voice remained as quiet as Harry's had been. "My focus _is_ the mission and that includes who's flying in the seat next to me. Alex has been my concern since you brought her in as a pilot. And while you've been too busy to notice that she needs to be reminded of how good she is, I don't have a problem letting her know that I trust her at the controls."

Before Harry could respond, Sharp turned away and picked up the space station's radio, dismissing the driller. Harry swallowed his irritation and turned towards Rock who was staring warily at the Russian who had just snatched a photograph out of his hand.

"Don't touch my uncle. He is the genius of my family. He worked for big bomb factory. He used to make the tip of the bomb. The thing that finds, uh… New York or Washington, you know?"

Harry and Rock shared a look as Alex stepped into the room behind them.

"Guys, check the hoses. I'm getting thermal variations that we shouldn't be having. Harry, help me check the couplings on the shuttle."

As they made their way back to the ship, the power flickered throughout the space station.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Harry asked, glancing at the lights.

"Not that I know of." They finished the walk to the shuttle and she headed towards the cockpit. "Start checking the couplings. I have to check all the instruments and make sure this hunk of junk isn't screwing with our ship."

On the space station, a strange sound followed the flickering lights, echoing through the hallways.

"Hold on a second," Sharp said in to the radio. "What's that noise?" he asked the cosmonaut.

The Russian suddenly took off towards the fuel pod yelling. "Oh no! God!"

"What is it?" Will asked once the Russian had stopped.

"Oh, we have leak. Leak! Leak!" He took off again in the direction of the fuel pod. "Get your men back to the shuttle! Go!"

Will turned to yell the news down the hall before following the cosmonaut.

"Colonel, we must get him out of there!"

He jumped to the edge of the pod. "A.J.! Come on!"

Behind him he heard Davis' voice getting closer as he yelled at both crews. "Emergency breakaway! We got a fire in the fuel pod!"

"Get in here!" Will called to Davis, Halsey, and Grueber. "A.J.'s stuck in the fuel pod!"

The astronauts began doing what they could to help but as Davis watched the gauges he knew it wasn't working. "We're losing it!" he managed to warn everyone before an explosion knocked them all back from the mouth of the fuel pod.

Alex braced herself on the back of her chair as the explosion rocked the shuttle. Her gaze flew to the window searching for the cause. "Control," she began speaking into her radio. "This is Freedom. I don't what's going on but there's some type of gas rushing out of the space station." As she watched, sparks flew around the porthole she was looking at and she could see flames inside. "Jesus. Houston, I think this thing's on fire!"

"_Roger, Freedom. Give us a moment-" _The man on the other end of the line broke off and she could hear a flurry of commotion on the other end of the radio. _"Freedom, you need to get out of there now."_

"Shit." She dropped what she had and raced to the middle of the shuttle where Harry was busy with the couplings. "Dump the hoses now!" she yelled as she ran. "We have to go!"

Her boss started unhooking them automatically. "What happened?"

"I don't know!"

"Did we shut off the O2 feed?"

"Harry!" Rock and Max came running down the hall and through the hatch. "It's burnin' up!"

"Damn. Max, Rock! Get in here! Get down here and crack these pipes off," he ordered as he climbed out of the hatch.

"Harry, no! It's burnin' up!" Rock called.

"I'm goin' back for the other team!"

Will tried to pull the cosmonaut away from the fuel pod in case of another explosion. He didn't see how A.J. could have survived being in the pod when it happened but the Russian was fighting to rescue the younger man. "It's too late," Will reasoned as Davis grabbed him from behind and began pulling him towards the exit. "Get back to the shuttle, this thing's gonna blow!"

His friend pushed Will into the hallway. "Colonel, we gotta move. Now! Come on! Dog the hatch!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Will turned to see Halsey holding Chick back. "We've got a man in there!"

"Open that door and we'll all die," Davis told him.

Above their heads flames began to race across the ceiling.

"Fuel leak!" Will yelled in warning as Davis grabbed him and they began to run for their lives. When they got to the hub where the teams would head for the different ships, he yelled to both crews, "Keep running! The shuttles' another seventy-five feet!"

Harry helped Chick to his feet when his friend tripped on the edge of a tunnel once he found the group. "Where's the rest of the team?" He scanned the faces as they ran past but noticed one was missing. "Where's A.J.?"

"A.J.'s gone!"

Something flipped in Harry's head and he refused to believe it. "We're not leaving without A.J.!" Both Chick and Sharp grabbed him before he could continue back into the space station.

"He's gone!" the colonel yelled. "It's too late! Get back to the shuttle and lock that door!"

Grueber and Chick pulled Harry onto the shuttle kicking and screaming while Will pulled the hatch closed and locked it into place. Harry broke free of Grueber and shoved his best friend.

"God damn it, A.J.'s still out there!"

"It's on fire! It's all on fire, Harry!"

"We have to go!" Alex yelled from the cockpit, unaware of the peril her twin was in.

"Your brother is in there!" Harry yelled at her.

"It's on fire," Chick told her dejectedly as he watched the realization sink in on her frozen features. Her eyes flicked to the hatch once before Sharp dropped into the pilot's seat.

"Full throttle," he told her and she snapped back to herself.

She flicked a switch and pulled the throttled. "There's no time; we're gonna get hit," she warned. "Strap in!" she yelled at the rest of the crew. She heard movement behind her as everyone grabbed a seat. Another explosion shook the shuttle before Alex disengaged the locks holding them to the space station.

"Ho! Woah woah woah! Colonel!" Chick yelled looking up. "That thing's comin' right for us! We got to move!"

"Go! Go!" Sharp ordered as they pushed the throttle.

The docking bay disappeared behind them as they pulled away just in time. They raced from the explosion as the Russian space station was obliterated from the inside out. As the danger was alleviated, the crew remained somber with the realization that A.J. was still on board the station when it exploded. Alex's head dropped as she tried to wrap her brain around that horrible truth.

"Alex?"

Will's voice was full of concern but before she could respond, Colonel Davis came over the radio. _"Freedom, Independence crew is on board and accounted for. We're even heavy one cosmonaut."_

Will watched as Alex's head dropped back against the headrest, her eyes closed in relief. He could see she was trying to contain her emotion and he was proud of the way she'd handled herself through that catastrophe.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "I'm not a huge fan of our luck so far."

"Me either," he agreed, wishing the sense of foreboding in his gut would disappear. He had a horrible feeling that the worst was still yet to come.

**Author's Note:**** Hey guys, just a quick note for any who want to follow me off this site; I have started my own blog. Send me a message and I'll let you know how you can find it if anyone is interested. Hope to see you all there.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The trip to the moon took the better part of three days and Alex was grateful that it was a relatively uneventful handful of days. Time was more difficult to track and the hours blended together, but she was able to enjoy the little things about space that she'd always wanted to experience. As she checked over the shuttle for damages she reveled in being weightless. Zero gravity was better than she could have ever imagined. For a little while she was even able to push their mission to the back of her mind.

The only sour part of the flight had occurred less than an hour after their emergency breakaway from the Russian space station. She had started running diagnostics all over the shuttle to be sure nothing had been damaged that would hinder their lunar trip when Harry found her. She could tell from the look on his face what was on his mind and she had no desire for the topic.

"Don't," she warned.

"You were willing to leave him." The accusation flew out of Harry's lips and Alex bit her tongue.

"Harry, I'm not in the mood for this conversation." They had the majority of the crew's attention, which made her uncomfortable. Everyone who knew anything about Harry Stamper knew that this fight was unavoidable, but she was nowhere near prepared for it. She had yet to fully face what could have happened and that she would have been responsible for not trying to save her own flesh and blood.

"He's your brother, Alex! And you flew off without him!"

Grueber approached the pair and tried to diffuse the situation. The two radiated with their anger and the sparks were almost visible as they glared at each other. "This probably isn't the best time, guys."

Alex tried to turn away and let the conversation go, but Harry wasn't having it. "Your _brother_, Alex! Does that mean nothing to you?"

"Harry." Chick's tone was harsh as he reprimanded his boss. He couldn't believe Harry would ever accuse Alex of anything like this and his unhappiness with his friend was evident.

"A.J. could have died!"

"You think I don't get that?" she finally yelled, gaining the full attention of anyone who wasn't already listening. "Do you think I wasn't in agony until Davis told us he was safe?" Tears burned her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Her voice was thick with emotion but she finally gave voice to the realization she'd come to as soon as they'd left the earth. "Everyone knew there was a huge risk of not coming back when we agreed to stick with you. This isn't about _my_ family. It's about the billions of families still on earth that we flew out here to save. Two shuttles, two teams, two chances to not screw this up. How selfish would I have been to risk the future of the world on the slim chance that I could save my brother?" A sob slipped out and she bit her lip, glancing down as she collected herself. She took a deep breath and looked Harry in the eyes once more. "My focus is _this_ shuttle and _this_ team. I'm sorry if I'm not handling this the way that you want me to but it's the only way I know how."

The entire crew had been silent as she made her way to the rear of the shuttle to compose herself and continue with her work. She had avoided everyone for the rest of the first day so she didn't risk another emotional exchange. Harry had eventually apologized for giving her a hard time, but things felt different between them. She had known since she first met him that he looked out for A.J. like he was his own son and in Harry's eyes they had both failed to protect her brother when they didn't go back for him. And Alex wasn't sure how much more disappointment she could stand to see in his eyes when he looked at her.

Will woke up early the morning of the last leg of their mission full of anticipation. He unhooked himself from his bunk and floated around as he took care of the human necessities. As he pushed the button to dump the waste into space he spotted Alex sitting in her chair with her knees tucked into her chest. He made his way to the cockpit and strapped himself to the chair.

"Hey." Her voice was soft so she wouldn't disturb anyone.

"You should have woken me up a while ago," he told her when he spotted the countdown. "It's been your turn to sleep for the last few hours."

"You need your sleep. Besides, I wasn't tired."

They sat in companionable silence for a while as the rest of the crew began to stir behind them. The past few days Will hadn't known how to talk to Alex about what had happened on the space station. True to her word, she hadn't broken down or even spoken about almost losing her brother. He knew he owed her an explanation since he'd been the one to haul Harry back onto the shuttle and order the evacuation.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"About what happened on the station…I'm sorry."

Her gaze was full of confusion. "For what?"

"With A.J. and everything…I should have done more-"

"No," she interrupted. "You did your job, Will; you took care of our team. We have to trust Independence will take care of theirs. Besides," she glanced back as the crew began moving around behind them. "You looked out for the rest of my family. Harry seems to have forgotten since we've been up here, but this is the only family I've ever really known." She watched as Rock found the camera they'd been using to document their journey while on the shuttle. He began recording everyone as they floated around and she couldn't help but smile.

"I don't remember a lot before I was ten, but I know we didn't really have a happy home. After my mom took me away, it was even worse. She became obsessed with making sure that she made a life that my dad never could. She worked all of the time, demanded so much, and pushed me into so much school that I resented her until the day she died." Will's bright blue gaze was steady on her as she opened up to him more than she'd opened up to anyone. "Once she was gone I could do whatever I wanted but I was alone. Part of me wanted to find my father but I was angry with him for not trying to keep me. I blamed him in part for my misery when I was growing up with my mother. And I was jealous of the brother I could barely remember. So I decided alone was better." Her face softened as she continued with her story. "You know what happened next...After that I flew out to Stamper Oil, told Harry who I was, and demanded he find a job for me." Her chuckle was full of memory and she shook her head. "These guys took me in and showed me that it didn't matter what my grade point average was or how much I made. It mattered what I did with my time. I know they don't seem like the most profound of groups," she giggled. "But they taught me more than I ever learned in all the classrooms I've ever been in."

Before Will could form the words to try to convey how much it meant to him that she'd opened up like that, Dan's voice filled the shuttle.

"_Morning, guys. It's time to suit up, I guess. Uh…we got a big day."_

While the rest of the crew began helping each other suit up in their D.A.T.s, Rock floated over and focused the camera on Alex.

"So, Alex," he began, catching her attention. She laughed when she saw the lens and shook her head. "Do you have any bracing words before we strap our asses to the Acme rocket?"

"Umm…I hope you didn't eat breakfast," she joked.

"Well, thanks, that makes me feel tons better. What about you, Colonel? Do you have anything helpful to add?"

"Seriously try not to puke," Will reiterated. "You're sitting behind me."

Alex erupted into giggles as Rock threw his hands up in defeat and pushed himself towards the others. Grueber helped get everyone back into their seats and strapped up before taking his own behind Alex.

"Everyone's strapped in and ready," he conveyed to Will, who nodded.

"Remember to breathe," Will told Alex as her nerves began to show. She nodded quickly before tightening her harness. "Booster sequence confirmed," he relayed into his radio.

"_This is Houston. Roger that, Freedom, we copy."_

"Radio contact terminated," Alex confirmed.

"Standby for lunar roll."

"High inclination lunar orbit."

As the shuttle rotated so they were upside down, Harry decided to break the tension. "You boys got those wills filled out correctly?"

"Gee, thanks, Harry," Chick uttered sarcastically behind him.

"Okay everyone," Sharp spoke to the crew without turning around. "Remember your training and just hold on."

"On my mark," Alex warned. "Five-four-three-two-one." She pressed the booster and everyone was thrown back in to their seats. The faster they went, the more pressure she felt pressing down on her. "Fourteen thousand miles an hour," she managed to read out, her voice showing the effort.

"Four G's," Will confirmed.

Rockhound cried out behind them followed by Harry bellowing, "How long does this last?"

"Sixteen thousand," Alex ground out.

"Six G's." Now Will's voice was tight with the strain he was putting his body through as they continued to gain speed.

"Eighteen thous- Ah!" Alex's ability to speak was cut off by a strangled cry.

"Eight G's. Hang tight!"

Alex was having trouble drawing in air with the weight and was no longer able to relay their speed. Will glanced over quickly when she remained silent and saw her struggling.

"We're not gonna make it!" Max screamed.

"Oh! We're gonna die!" Rock agreed.

Will glanced at their speed: twenty thousand miles an hour. "Ten G's," he relayed. "Breathe!" he reminded Alex. Behind him the crew continued yelling as the pressure grew and he was relieved to hear Alex groan in pain. "We're maxed! Twenty-two thousand five hundred."

The pressure began to let up and the whole crew began breathing heavily as the shuttled stopped shaking around them. Alex let her head rest against her chair as she tried to catch her breath.

"I definitely prefer jets," she confessed to Will, his breathy chuckle conveying his agreement.

They finished their slingshot around the moon, coming up behind the asteroid when Houston confirmed radio signal acquisition.

"We have visual of the target, Houston," Will informed them.

"Yes see that?" Harry wondered in awe.

"Oh my God," Alex whispered.

"_Freedom, turn on your F.O.D. radar."_

Will flipped a switch. "F.O.D. radar on."

"Hang on to something," Alex advised her friends. "I doubt this will be an easy ride."

They flew into the asteroid's wake and found out the hard way that the moon's gravity hadn't pulled as much of the smaller rocks out of their way as they'd hoped.

"God damn!" Will exclaimed. "We got debris!"

"Dumping auxiliary boosters," Alex continued their dialogue with their team on Earth.

"Hang on tight," Will warned as he weaved the shuttle around rock pieces.

Everything seemed to be going their way until their radios exploded with cries from the other shuttle.

"_Mayday, Freedom, mayday,"_ Davis yelled in warning. _"We are out of control and we are going down! Do you read me? Freedom, we are going down!"_

Alex didn't realize that her horrified gasp of denial was out loud. As if to prove it to her, Independence shuttle rolled in front of Freedom, barely missing a collision. Alex and Will cried out as they both flinched from the near impact. Will yelled as he grabbed the controls once again and pulled the shuttle into a steep climb to avoid a large rock.

"We're gonna hit!"

Alex felt her restraints dig into her skin as everyone was thrown forward as the belly of the shuttle connected with rock. They watched in shocked horror as Independence spun towards the asteroid, their voices still erupting from their radios.

"_Everybody, go to your life support," _Davis told his crew in a last attempt to save them. _"Lock yourself in the cargo bay! We are going down, Houston! Houston, we are going down! We have lost control!" _He paused for a moment before he added quietly, _"Good luck, Freedom."_

"_Oh my God, this is it."_

Tucker's last words were followed by screams before their radios went dead. The sudden quiet rang throughout the shuttle as metal chunks joined the rocks flying around them.

"Sharp, what the hell is that?" Harry yelled. ""Is that the Independence?"

Alex exclaimed in horror as Tucker's body hit the window right in front of her before bouncing off into space. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand to keep the growing scream from escaping.

"Houston, Independence is a dead stick. They're not gonna make it." They watched helplessly as their sister ship crashed into the asteroid before Will confirmed, "Houston, Independence has gone down."

Alex shook slightly with effort but managed to lower the landing gear and continued to prep the shuttle for their touchdown on the asteroid. The more she worked the easier it was to not think about what had just happened.

"When I touch this baby down, full reverse thrust," Will ordered.

"Got it."

"Give me RCS thrusters! Hang tight, hang tight!" He glanced at the radar. "Houston, we overshot our landing field. We overshot our landing field."

"Oh no!" Rock cried.

As the shuttle touched down on the asteroid, Will and Alex threw their arms over their faces in case anything managed to break through the windshield. Mentally Alex scoffed in derision at their reactions, since they had just bore witness to their friends' inability to protect themselves from the vacuum of space. When they finally stopped sliding, Will's eyes flew to Alex.

"You okay?" She nodded, not trusting her voice just yet. "Initiate system light system check. Make sure we can still get off this rock."

She did as he said. "Electrical system is screwed," she informed him, her voice coarse with restrained emotion. "I'm switching to back-up. Fuel seals, check. Engine seals, check. Pressure seals, check."

Will turned to the crew. "Anyone hurt?"

"Where-Where's the other shuttle" Rockhound panted. Will's gaze flew to Alex once more and watched her face fall as she swallowed hard. "What happened to the other shuttle?"

Will stood up. "Independence is off the grid."

Rock grabbed for Sharp's arm as he walked by but the colonel pulled away. "'Off the grid'? What are you a freakin' cyborg? What does that mean?"

Grueber noticed Alex discreetly wipe her cheek as she continued her check. He leaned in towards Rockhound. "Hey, you saw it yourself, right?" He tried to keep his voice down so he didn't upset Alex further. "They're gone."

"God…" Max sobbed.

Alex continued her duty, her movements robotic as she tried to distance herself emotionally from everything.

"Let's just ask God to take care of our friends," Harry told them gruffly. "May they rest in peace."

"Amen," Chick finished.

Harry squeezed Alex's arm as he stood up. Her smile was frail but she refused to let it falter. "We've got eight hours. Let's get this job done and go home." He turned to Max as Chick opened the cargo bay hatch. "All right, let's get the tools unpacked and fire up the Armadillo."

"I'm not getting a damn thing on the inertial nav system," Will called out to Alex.

"I know where we are," Rockhound announced.

"Please step away," Will requested. To Alex he continued, "Radio signal's dead."

"I'm flipping the back-up generator," she stated as she moved past the crew. "Radio signal's gonna be cut in half until we get main power back."

"We're in segment 202, lateral grid nine, site fifteen-H-thirty-two, give or take a few yards," Rock declared, dropping grid papers onto the table. "Captain America here blew the landing by twenty-six miles."

"How the hell do you know that?" Will asked.

"Because I'm a genius."

"The gauges won't read," Alex informed them as she came back into the room. "They're all peaked like we're plugged into some magnetic field."

"Well who on this space ship wants to know why?" Rock demanded.

Will relented. "By all means."

"The reason we were shooting for grid eight is because thermo graphics indicated that grid nine was compressed iron ferrite. Which means that you landed us on a Goddamn iron plate."

Will's brain raced as this information sank in. "All right, well you heard the man. Let's wheel out the remote satellite link. We need that radio." The crew began heading down the ladder to the cargo bay. "Grueber, get the satellite ready while I suit up. Then you get suited up."

"On it."

Everyone dispersed and for the first time, Alex was left in silence. Before she could busy herself once more, the emotions she'd been holding back surged forward. Unprepared for this onslaught, her knees buckled and she sank to the floor. As the emotional pain grew it felt as if a right hook landed in her gut and she doubled over as it overwhelmed her. Hot tears streaked down her cheeks in silence as her mind went to war with itself; unsure whether facing the trauma or sinking into shock was healthier. Her whole body began to shake with the effort of controlling herself.

When Will stepped back into the room and saw Alex, his heart leapt into his throat in fear. In a second he was kneeling beside her.

"Alex, are you hurt?" He turned her to face him and saw the tears streaming down her face. She didn't react to him at all; her eyes remained screwed shut in pain. "Alex?"

Her eyes flew open and he could see that she was beginning to sink into shock. She grabbed the arms of his suit, clutching the material in her fists. "They're gone," she whispered. "A.J., Freddy, Bear, Oscar…Halsey, Davis, Tucker…" she moaned and shook harder. "Oh God, Tucker…"

He knew she was recalling the moment Tucker had hit their shuttle and shook her. "Alex." She didn't respond. "Alex!" When she still didn't react he pulled her in roughly and caught her lips with his. After a moment he felt her relax slightly and the shaking slowly stopped. Her fingers loosed on his arms so he brought his hand up to cup her face. He broke the kiss and looked her in the eye. Although they were clear again, he could see the shadow of shock lingering in them. "I know you need time to mourn," he told her gently. "But I need you with me right now, baby." He wiped her cheek with his thumb as she nodded slightly.

"I'm with you," she murmured.

"One step at a time, okay? We have to get the radio up."

"Okay."

He pushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her quickly once more before moving to climb down into the cargo bay. He called down as he descended, "Grueber, suit up, double time."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Is everyone good to go?"

Will stood with the drilling crew and Grueber as they prepared to exit the shuttle. Taking their silence for an affirmation, he pressed the button to open the ramp at the rear of the shuttle. As they all got their first glimpse of the asteroid, Harry summed it up well. "Wow," he murmured. Through the mountains of jagged rocks they could see the earth waiting for them to save her. The crew set out to find their optimal digging site, which was difficult given the amount of rock spires and the space the Armadillo would need.

"Down here," Chick called as he stood on the ledge of a canyon. "In the valley."

Rockhound took a look around and shook his head. "This place is like Dr. Seuss' worst nightmare."

Will watched as they began to make their way into the valley and caught sight of an overhang. "Let's get the remote satellite," he told Grueber, pointing to the spot. "We'll get better reception up there."

"Bring Max down," Harry ordered as he scouted around. His friend was right, this was their best chance. "Watch yourself through here, Max, there's a couple big fissures."

Will heard them continue to work but his focus was on booting up their satellite.

"I have fire," Grueber confirmed as the machine kicked on.

"Alex," Sharp directed into his radio. "I'm comin' back, standby."

"_Copy."_

"It's mostly iron, Rockhound," Harry observed.

"God, I hate knowing everything. We couldn't have picked a worse spot to drill."

Will and Harry made eye contact when the colonel stopped near them after hearing Rockhound's assessment. "Well, I can pretty much guarantee it's not gonna be thicker than fifty feet."

"How ya figure that?" Rock asked.

"'Cause if it is we're screwed."

Will's jaw tightened before he turned away from the group and began the climb to the shuttle. That was not the kind of news they needed right now. And he was at fault for their location. It couldn't have been helped, he knew that. But he also knew that the drillers were already placing the blame. He wondered if Alex agreed. She'd worked with these men for three years so their opinions would matter to her, if she wasn't already thinking it. Maybe she was already beginning to question-

He shook his head while stepping into the lift. Once the light switched on to confirm the airlock he yanked off his helmet and gloves and scrubbed his face. When the lift stilled inside the shuttle Alex was waiting for him. She flipped the switch to release the airlock and he stepped through the doors.

"Have you had any luck?"

Alex's brow shot up at his tone. "I haven't had much time since you got the satellite up," she reminded him. "Besides, I was waiting to let you in."

She turned away and headed back up the ladder as he stowed his loose gear in the cargo bay. He heard as she began to try to make radio contact once more and he berated himself for being so touchy. He couldn't seem to help it.

"Sharp, I'm getting something!"

Will practically flew up the ladder as Alex began talking to their control room on earth.

"Houston, this is Freedom. We have landed safely. We are at site coordinates fifteen H dash thirty-two."

Will gestured for the radio as he and entered the room and Alex moved so that he could stand in front of the camera. "We're also having electric and antennae difficulties but we have commenced drilling. Shuttle flight capability not yet known. Houston?" The static became overbearing over the radio. "Houston? We lost 'em." He handed the radio back to Alex and ordered, "Get 'em back." He turned away and spoke into his as Alex gave him an irritated look. "Grueber, we need that hook up."

"Right away, sir," Alex muttered as she started perusing her notes again.

"What?"

"Don't bark at me," she said without looking up.

"I'm not barking."

"Yes you are." She sighed and turned to look him in the eye. "Look, I don't know what's going on in your head right now but it's gonna make things worse." She turned back to the radio. "Houston, do you copy? This is Freedom."

Will heard the lift activate and headed down to the cargo bay to let them inside. He pulled the lever and the doors opened for Harry and Chick.

"Let's get it unpacked," Harry was saying to his friend.

"What's up?" Will questioned, following them

"We're drilling through some type of metal I've never seen before. It's fried two of our drill bits and now we blew our first transmission."

"So how deep are we?"

"We could use your help with the transmission, Colonel." Harry ignored the question and grabbed the dolly.

"I have an assessment report due _now_. We're supposed to be at two hundred feet, so…how deep are we?"

"Not as deep as we'll be when you quit askin' me all these questions and help us load this transmission on."

Will was becoming suspicious of Harry's noncommittal answers. "What is our current depth?"

"Our current depth is not important, Colonel."

He'd had enough with beating around the bush. "I'll decide what's important. We've got eight hundred feet to drill. You've had two and a half hours. _Where are we?_"

Harry finally stood up and met Will's unflinching glare. "We're at fifty-seven feet. Now if you're not too busy maybe you can give us a hand with this transmission."

Will began to make his way back to the ship's communications room.

"Colonel Sharp!" Harry called after him.

"I need that radio, Grueber," he radioed while ignoring the driller. Alex was messing with the control panel when he hurried in. "I need to talk to control."

"_All right, I'm comin' through," _Grueber announced from the satellite. _"We have contact."_

Alex tuned the signal as much as she could before giving Will an apologetic look. "That's as clear as it's gonna get." Will grabbed the radio, practically pushing her out of the way. "Excuse me," she muttered in exasperation as he dropped into the chair.

"Houston, this is Freedom. Do you copy? Working on a remote satellite link at this moment. Transmission change: twenty minutes-"

Harry made his way up behind Alex who gave him a questioning look. "Colonel?" Harry tried again to get Sharp's attention but was ignored as he read off of a card into the radio.

"-Puts drilling final at ten hours. Please advise that's four hours past zero barrier. Please advise."

Harry grabbed the card. "What the hell is this? 'Zero depth'?" He glanced back at Alex who shrugged and shook her head, her expression completely confused. "And where'd this come from?" he directed at Sharp. "Who you talkin' to? Is that Truman? Let me have that phone." He yanked the radio from Will's hands as the colonel got up in irritation. "Gimme the phone. Truman! Look, this is what happens when you drill."

"What the hell is going on?" Alex asked Will, her voice low.

"I'm doing my job."

"Who wrote this thing by the way?" Harry yelled towards Sharp.

Alex heard the static kick up in her right ear where she kept her radio to Houston. "We're losing comms," she warned.

"Is he getting this?" Harry called back as Sharp came back into the room. "Does he hear me? What's wrong with this?"

Will grabbed the radio and put it back in its holder. "The comm's down."

"What do you mean 'the comm's down'?"

"What do I mean? I mean we've lost communication to mission control."

"Fine. Let's go back to the cargo bay and get the transmission-"

"Hey, Harry, guess what," Will interrupted as he stood toe-to-toe with Harry. "Ya had your shot. You didn't do it, ya understand me? You blew it."

"Will!"

"Why don't you stay here and toke orders from a cue card!"

"Harry!"

Alex's interruptions were unheeded again as they continued to yell at each other. Harry shoved Sharp out of his face and the colonel landed in the chair briefly before jumping to his feet.

"Write a report, why don't ya? That'll be helpful!" Harry berated him.

"Hey!" Alex tried once more to be heard as the testosterone-fueled argument continued.

"My men and I will go get this hole dug!"

"You and your men are the biggest mistake in the history of NASA!"

Silence filled the shuttle as both Harry and Alex stared at Sharp, one in anger and the other in hurt. The two men continued to glare at one another until Alex drew their attention by walking out of the room. Harry glanced back at Sharp as he dropped his head and muttered a curse.

"She's my crew," Harry reminded him before climbing back down to the cargo bay.

"Alex…" Will followed her to the next room where she was diligently working. "Alex, I didn't mean- When I said-"

"Don't worry about it," she interrupted his fumbling without looking at him. "I don't want to deal with this right now; I have a ship to fix. And as you said before, you have a job to do."

Will blew out a breath in frustration as he ran his fingers through his hair again. He made a decision and unlocked the ship's safe. The sound of metal sliding against metal caught Alex's attention and she turned to see him pull a pistol from the safe.

"What are you-"

Will pulled out a pair of papers, his eyes narrowing and Alex stopped talking as his face hardened. "I need that radio," he told her, his voice betraying his sudden uncertainty. He cleared his throat and his tone went back to normal. "Grueber, give me everything you've got. _Now_."

"_Roger that."_

Suddenly Harry's yell filled the ship. "Sharp! Get back here now!"

"Shit!" Will climbed down the ladder quickly. "Alex, get the shuttle ready to evac now!"

"What?" Alex's yell mirrored his fear that they still didn't know if the ship could fly.

"It just came on all by itself," Harry explained rapidly. "Wh-what the hell's happening?"

"Secondary protocol." Will started rolling the bomb to the rear of the shuttle.

"What's that? What?"

Chick began to help Will as he repeated, "Secondary protocol."

"What does that mean?"

"What the hell's secondary protocol?" Harry probed.

"They're detonating this thing from earth. We need to-"

"What do you mean 'detonating'? We haven't even drilled the hole yet!"

"We'll drop it in the hole and go," Sharp continued.

"Whoa whoa!" Chick took his hands off the bomb as Sharp began to strap it down.

"Get your helmets on," he ordered.

"Oh no, no," Chick insisted meekly. "H-how ya turn it off?"

"Colonel Sharp, I got two men out on that rock!"

"I got a man out there, too! We gotta evac now!"

Harry pressed his hand to his radio. "Max! Rockhound! Get back to the shuttle, double time!"

"Alex, airlock the cockpit now!" Will radioed as he prepped the shuttle's ramp again.

"_I copy you."_

Harry tried to reach his men once more as Chick bellowed, "Hey wait a minute!" He couldn't understand why they weren't more concerned with the prospect of standing beside a literal ticking time bomb. "How do you turn this thing off?"

Will ran back to the nuke, helmet in hand. He placed it on the bomb's base so he could work faster and began to cinch the straps holding the bomb in place.

"I'm not leaving without my men, Sharp," Harry told him adamantly.

"We've got two-and-a-half minutes to drop it and get off this rock. If they're not back by the time we finish, we leave without 'em."

"Okay, let's simplify this," Chick demanded, fear evident in his voice. "Let's just turn the bomb off."

"If you don't put this bomb down in a hole eight hundred feet onto a fault line all you're gonna have is a real expensive firework show!"

"This is turning into a surrealistic nightmare…"

"Give us the time, Sharp. Shut this bomb down, now!"

"It's not my call," Sharp finally answered him.

"Then who's call is it?"

"The order to detonate can only come from the president."

"The president's not here!" Harry exploded.

"Turn it off right now," Chick pleaded.

"You gotta give us more time!" Harry continued yelling. "I'm tellin' you, shut this bomb down now!"

"And I'm telling you it's not my call!" Will roared.

"Well guess what." Harry tuned and grabbed a giant set of pliers. "I just made the call for you."

As he raised them in the air, Chick yelled his name and moved to stop him, but everyone froze as Sharp leveled the pistol at Harry.

"Don't," he warned quietly, his voice shaking in trepidation. "You could set it off."

"Oh man." Chick took a step back. "What're you doin' with a gun in space?"

The lift hissed and Grueber stepped out, dropping his helmet and gloves as he analyzed the situation quickly. He moved in close to Chick in case Sharp needed back up.

"This thing is gonna blow," Will continued. "We gotta get it off the ship."

Chick tried to keep an eye on everyone but noticed Grueber inch closer out of the corner of his eye. "Easy," he murmured to the other man.

"Stand down, Sergeant," Will ordered him.

Chick turned his face to watch Sharp. He hadn't been called by rank in a long time.

"Shut this bomb down and let us finish our job the right way," Harry insisted.

"I'm under orders to protect the surface detonation."

"I'm gonna give you three seconds to shut this bomb down and then I'm gonna make you shoot me."

Will watched him tighten his hold on the pliers and realized Harry was completely serious. The sound of a machine powering down filled the sudden quiet of the cargo bay.

"What happened?" Chick asked.

Harry's gaze didn't waiver but Will had to check, a decision he regretted instantly as Harry swung the pliers into his hand. He cried out, the gun flying out of his grip as he fell to his knees in pain. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Chick elbow Grueber in the face hard enough to knock the other man onto his back. Through his radio he heard Alex call his name, but before he could answer Harry made his move. The pliers clamped around his neck and Will began struggling for air.

"Bring me all the way up here just to blow me and my friends up? Is that it?"

"Listen…" Will fought to get the word out.

"Shut up! Shut up, Colonel. I'm talking now."

Chick picked the gun up off the ground as Grueber gained his feet. He shook his head at the astronaut in warning as he leaned against the nuke to keep himself on his feet. Will heard Alex in his ear again as he tried to get enough oxygen.

"It could start again," he struggled to tell Harry. "It might've been a warning."

The lift hissed as Rock and Max finally joined them.

"Uh-oh," Max commented.

"That's why you're gonna dismantle this bomb," Harry instructed Sharp.

"All right," Rock spoke up. "What'd we miss?"

Everyone glanced back as Alex climbed down the ladder. Rock stepped out of the lift to intercept her before she could interfere with his boss.

"Sharp, I've been calling you…" Her eyes widened as the scene in front of her stopped her in her tracks. "Harry, what the hell?" She took a step forward and Rock grabber her. "Get off of me. Harry, let him go!"

"Stay back there, Angel," Harry told her. "Colonel Sharp and I need to talk, man to man."

"Screw this." She threw her elbow into Rock's gut and stepped around him, weaving her way through Max's arms as she tried to get to her boss and her lover. But Grueber grabbed her arm as the bomb in front of them beeped and whirred once more. She gasped in horror as Grueber pulled her back towards him and away from the nuke.

"Oh geez. Here we go again." Chick's displeasure couldn't have been clearer.

"What're you doin' up here?" Harry asked Will. "Why did you even bother to make the trip?"

"To do the right thing," he choked out. "To see that it's done."

Harry stared at him for a moment before loosening the pliers and dropping them on the deck. Sharp collapsed, breathing heavily as he stared up at the timer. Alex mad a move towards him but Grueber drew her back and shook his head, his eyes on the drillers.

Harry kneeled next to Will and pleaded, "Then for God's sake, think about what you're doin'. Why are you listening to someone that's a hundred thousand miles away? We're here. Nobody down there can help us. 'Cause if we don't get this job done, everybody's gone."

"One minute," Chick read off.

"I have been drilling holes in the earth for thirty years and I have never, _never_ missed a depth that I have aimed for. And by God I am not gonna miss this one; I will make eight hundred feet."

"Forty-two seconds."

Will was at war with himself as he tried to fight back his emotions. He was terrified of not finishing the job, of not being able to see his daughters again. But all of his training, his years of military service, demanded that he follow orders. He focused on the timer as he pushed the tears back.

"But I can't do it alone, Colonel, I need your help."

Will looked back at Alex before squeezing his eyes shut and swallowing his fear. He opened them and fixed Harry with his gaze, his voice rough with emotion. "You swear on your daughter's life, on my family's, that you can hit that mark," he demanded.

"I will make eight hundred feet. I swear to God I will."

"Then let's turn this bomb off."

Harry offered his hand, which Will took as he got to his feet. Grueber moved swiftly forward to take Chick's place as Harry's best friend stepped away. Alex's knees felt like jelly and she was grateful when Chick wrapped his arm around her waist. She clung to him as they watched Will and Grueber unscrew the timer from the bomb.

"Steady. Steady," Sharp instructed. "Take it back. That's what you have to do. Get 'em off backwards."

"Rainbow track. Under-under one?"

"All of 'em. All of 'em!"

The two men were speaking fast and moving even faster; their voices shaking but their hands were steady.

"Free of static?" Grueber asked as they began to go through the wires,

"Oh, do a good job…do a good job…" Alex heard Rock muttering over and over.

"Go! Go! Go!" Her attention flew back to Will. "Red wire A. Ready and now." He cut a wire. "Come on, come on, come on, _come on_!"

Grueber blew out a breath as the sweat rolled down his face.

"Negative B, ready and-" Another wire was cut.

Chick's arm tightened around Alex as the countdown dwindled and she felt his heart racing under the fist she'd clenched into his suit.

"Track flipped," Grueber continued. "Hots in."

"It better be. Go!"

"Red or blue?"

"Of course it is," Alex chuckled in despair at the irony.

"Red…" Will faltered in doubt as he second-guessed himself. He glanced up and met Alex's worried gaze. "Blue." Before he could question it, he snipped the blue wire and the clock stopped at two seconds and some change." Everyone blew out a breath in relief as Will stepped wearily back from the bomb.

"Good job," Rock choked out.

Alex broke out of Chick's hold and raced to Will. Her body slammed into his as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him as close to her as she could. He caught her and his arms held her like a vice as his body began to shake. The adrenaline began to leave his muscles and everything felt like jelly, so he anchored himself to her. In the feel of her in his arms as she tried to calm her racing heart, her soft hair under his hand as he stroked her back, her scent as he turned his face into her neck and breathed in unsteadily.

Behind them Max grumbled, "God it sucks up here."

Neither of them could help but chuckle and Will set her on her feet again. She moved her hands to the bruises forming on his throat, her eyes concerned.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

He nodded and laid his forehead against hers gently, enjoying her cool skin on his raw neck. "Sorry I couldn't answer before," he apologized quietly, his voice scratchy from the abuse. "I was a little tied up."

"Not funny," she scolded dryly. They stayed that way for a moment before she placed her hands on his face and brought his gaze up, her eyes bright as she smiled triumphantly. "I got the radio working."

His eyes swept the rest of the crew and saw no one was watching, so he kissed her briefly before giving her a hug. "That's my girl," he murmured in her ear. He fought the desire to hold her until the nightmare was over and managed to let her go as he faced the rest of the crew. "Alex got the radio working again. I need to let Houston know what's going on."

"Why don't we join you?" Harry offered.

Sharp stared at him for a moment before nodding in agreement and leading the way up the ladder. The whole crew gathered in a semicircle outside of the comm room so they could all be seen by the camera. For the first time NASA was going to see a united front. Will made some adjustments to the signal and then held out the radio to Harry.

"Houston?" Will moved into place beside Alex and she laced her fingers with his. "Houston, do you copy?"

"_Go ahead, Freedom."_

"Houston, you have a problem. See I promised my little girl that I'd be comin' home. Now I don't know what you people are doin' down there, but we got a hole to dig up here." Alex smiled in pride as he placed the radio down and turned to his men. "Let's grab the transmission and get back to work." He hung back as Chick, Rock, and Max headed back to the cargo bay and watched Alex interact with the two astronauts.

Sharp turned to Grueber. "Let's get that bomb off the ship, just in case. I don't want any more surprises."

Grueber glanced at Alex and answered, "I won't argue with that." He made his way down the ladder as well.

"Now that the radio is up they should be able to walk you through getting the shuttle back online," Will told Alex.

"I know. I'll have her ready to fly before you guys are done," she promised, her smile helping to bolster his mood.

"I know you will." He squeezed her hand before following Grueber down the hatch.

Alex watched him with a smile before turning to grab her earpiece for the shuttle comm. She caught sight of Harry and froze. "Harry," she breathed in surprise, her eyes flicking to where Sharp had disappeared.

"I guessed it a while ago, Angel," he confessed. "I just needed to see it with my own eyes." He paused before asking the one question that mattered to him. "Do you love him?" Her eyes widened before she dropped her gaze to the floor, swallowing hard. He smiled gently and stepped forward, kissing the top of her head. "I'm happy for you."

She gaped at him in surprise. "You are?"

He chuckled. "Hopefully now he and I have an understanding. But you love him. And I can see how much he cares for you when he thinks no one is looking. So let's get the ship fixed so you can have a life together back home."

"You're being uncharacteristically optimistic," she observed with suspicion.

"We need a lot of help right now, Angel, and you've been my good luck charm the past few years. Besides, I love you like I love Grace," he admitted gruffly. "You deserve to be happy."

Touched, Alex leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'll make sure you get back to her," she promised before they both got back to work.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The drillers finished installing the new transmission and the Armadillo began working again as Will and Grueber wheeled the bomb down to their drill site.

"Hey, Sharp, can I ask your opinion on something?" Grueber began to screw the faceplate back onto the timer.

"Sure."

"What do you think of Alex?"

Will's gaze flew to Grueber but he didn't seem to mean anything by his question. "Um…I don't know, Nate. What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been working pretty close with her. Is she as amazing as she seems?" He didn't notice the colonel's movements had completely ceased across from him. "I mean, she seems like a great girl. She's pretty, smart, and has kept her sense of humor through almost everything…I-I don't know, I guess I was thinking of maybe asking her out…When this is all over." He looked up and met Sharp's piercing blue gaze. "I guess I was wondering if she'd say yes. As far as I've heard she isn't seeing anyone. My chances can't be too bad, right?"

Grueber chuckled and Will made himself attempt a grin at the other man. But he could feel how forced it was and his mind raced as he tried to come up with some kind of answer before Grueber noticed.

"Hey, Colonel Sharp," Harry called. "Need your help a minute."

"Yeah." Will was relieved he didn't have to come up with a reply just yet. "Go check on the satellite," he told him instead.

As he made his way across their work area he tried to smother the jealousy he'd felt rise in his gut. He and Alex had never talked about what would happen after the mission, so the possibility of her going out with Nathan, or anyone else for that matter, was real. His jaw tightened at the thought. Would she think this was all just a fling; a last attempt at intimacy in the face of disaster?

"You all right, Sharp?"

"Yeah." His tone was short and answered Harry's question more than his reply. "What do you need?"

"Nothin'," Harry admitted as he met the colonel's tense look with his own stoic one. "Just sounded like you needed help out of that conversation."

Will was surprised but he nodded in appreciation, barely noticing Rockhound pass behind him.

"All right. You're doin' a good job."

"How deep are we?" Will asked Harry.

"Give me a depth reading, Max."

"We're at 150 feet, Harry."

"Alex, come in," Will directed into his radio.

"_I read you."_

"Updated status report: current depth is 150 feet."

"_Copy that: 150 feet and counting. Just give them time, Sharp, they'll get the job done."_

Before Will could reply, Rock began hollering behind him. "Yee-haw! Ride 'em, cowboy! Yippee-kai-yo-kai-yay!"

In an attempt to quell the irritation he felt, Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again he saw Harry glance over his should and his eyes widen. Will turned and froze, the sight not improving his mood. The crazy-looking driller was sitting on top of the bomb and riding it like a horse in the rodeo.

"Get off…the nuclear…warhead," he ordered slowly, enunciating every syllable.

"I was doin' that guy from that movie, ya know? _Slim Pickens_? Where he rides it all the way in, the nuclear warhead," Rock explained casually.

Will wasn't amused as he continued to stare at the man. "Now."

"Oh, you didn't see that one, huh?"

"We got seven hundred feet of hole to dig, Rockhound," Harry reminded him.

"All right. Just-just wanted to feel the power between my legs, brother." He climbed off of the bomb while Will watched like a hawk. "Hey, Sharp. No nukes! No nukes! No nukes!"

Will sighed in irritation.

"You got anymore bullets in that gun, Sharp?" Harry wondered.

"_He's _a genius?"

"It surprised me too."

Back on the ship Alex followed the directions she was being given from earth but had yet to get the main power back on. The hopeful mood she'd been in had dwindled into nonexistence.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled in frustration as another sequence failed.

"_Alex, you need to stay calm. We'll try another one."_

She blew out a breath, choosing not to voice her thoughts as to how easy it was for the engineer on the other end of the radio to remain calm when he wasn't sitting in a broken-down ship in the middle of space. She began pushing buttons and flipping switches in the order she was told. At the end of the sequence she flipped the last switch, sliding forward to check their status. Her hand slammed against the console in anger.

"Mother-!"

"_Alex! Stay-"_

"Tell me to stay calm again and we're gonna have words when I get back," she threatened the man.

After a moment of quiet, Clark's voice came from the other end of the radio instead of the engineer. _"Hey, Alex. We're gonna get you some more help, okay? So just sit tight a minute."_

"'More help'? Who the hell can help me now?"

"_Hey, Alex."_ The new voice was feminine and Alex froze when she recognized it.

"Watts?"

"_What do you say we get the power back on?"_

"Ask around, nothing has worked. It's damn near impossible at this point." She grimaced at how melodramatic she sounded.

"_Well I know a lot of people thought learning to fly that shuttle in twelve days was impossible, but you did it. Your crew is counting on you to get that bird flying again and we're here to help you. But I can't do it for you. So put a boot in your ass and let's figure this out."_

Alex couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. "You need to work on your pep talks."

"_I'll put it on my to-do list."_

"No you won't," she laughed.

"_Not a chance."_

"Okay, let's try another."

"Rockhound, keep an eye on that transmission."

"Tranny looks good, Harry."

"All right, take it outta there. Lock it down, Chick."

Nobody noticed Rock climb on top of the Armadillo while they worked. Will and Grueber placed the wench to lower the bomb on the edge of the hole when bullets began to ricochet around them. Everyone ducked to the ground on instinct.

"Whoa! What the hell is that?" Chick yelled.

Harry spun around. "Rockhound…"

The shooting stopped for an instant as Rock stared at the gun in joy. "Whoa! This is so much fun it's freaky." He raised the trigger mechanism again and began to fire randomly.

Harry weaved his way between the equipment. "Rockhound!"

"Woo! Whoa, watch your head," he called as Harry dropped to the ground to avoid being hit. "Sorry, Harry." He continued shooting at everything. "Out of my way, boys!"

"Rockhound!" Harry finally reached the ladder at the back of the Armadillo.

"Meet your maker, asteroid!"

Harry tackled his friend, sending both of them flying off the top of the Armadillo. They crashed onto the ground and Harry pinned Rock with his body, his friend groaning from the impact.

"What the hell's the matter with you, Rockhound? Goddamn!"

Will stepped around the rock he and Grueber had used for cover and watched Harry struggle to hold Rockhound down.

"This isn't sane," he muttered.

"Have you lost your mind?" Harry continued berating Rock.

"Ow…"

"He's got space dementia…" Will and Nathan shared a look. They both knew that people sometimes couldn't handle being in space for one reason or another and basically lost their minds. "Harry, you wanna watch your man."

Harry looked up to respond when a burst of gas blew out of the hole they were digging and he froze. Taking advantage of the distraction, Rockhound scrambled away from his boss.

"Max," Harry began, trying to remain calm. "Downshift slowly and put it in reverse. We gotta get that pipe outta there."

Before their driver could do anything the world around them began to shake.

"What's happening?" Max asked in fear.

"The ground's cracking!" Will hollered in warning.

"Earthquake!" Chick yelled as he pulled Harry to his feet.

Will grabbed Grueber and they made their way towards the Armadillo, grabbing the nuke to secure it before moving to help Chick. They knelt close to the hole and tried to time the bursts of gas so they could help pull the pipe out. As Harry tried to make his way to the Armadillo, the ground opened wide enough for his leg to become trapped.

"Shut it off!" he yelled, waving his arms to get Max's attention. "Shut it off! Shut it off now!"

"We're gonna have a blowout!" Max bellowed.

Harry pulled his leg out of the crevice and got back to his feet. "We hit a gas pocket!"

"We got pressure out the ass!"

Will's eyes flew to the Armadillo as it was lifted onto half of its wheels for a moment. Harry tried to get Max to put his helmet on and abandon the machine but it was too late. They were pushed back by the force of the gas explosion that lifted the Armadillo off of the ground. Harry screamed as the machine and the oil driller still trapped inside flew off into space.

"_Okay, let's try another sequence."_

"Watts, we've tried so many sequences I feel my fingers blistering. There has to be something we're missing…"

"_We're at a loss down here, Alex. If there's something we're not doing right, no one here knows what it is."_

Alex could hear the frustration in Jennifer's voice as she her gaze traveled along the instrument panel while she thought. An idea began to form and before she could talk herself out of it she began to push buttons.

"I have an idea."

"_Why do I have the feeling we're not going to like it?"_

Alex chuckled. "I didn't think you'd gotten to know me so well."

"_Frost…"_

"I'm prepping the shuttle for full shut down and restart."

The radio was quiet for a moment before it exploded with noise. Alex winced as the commotion was right in her ear and almost couldn't make out what Watts was saying with the amount of people talking.

"_Alex, that's crazy."_

"No, it's brilliant," she argued good-naturedly as he continued working. "I'm a computer geek, remember? And just like a computer, sometimes the sequence to fix it doesn't take effect until a system restart. So I'll shut it down and then boot it up again."

"_This isn't like a computer! You don't just click an option and the ship shuts down and automatically starts back up. You have to do it manually. Meanwhile you lose power to everything. Do you understand what that means? The oxygen pump, pressure seals, locks, heat, _everything_!"_

"Believe it or not, I did pay attention when you taught me. And I'm not a complete moron."

"_This isn't a joking matter, Frost! If you do this you will die!"_

"Not if I'm fast enough. I just have to get the system restarted before I keel over. No big deal."

"_Where the hell is Sharp to keep you from being so stupid?"_

"Not here, so I guess I can be as stupid as I want."

"_You can't do this." _Her friend's voice had changed; her concern showing through the tough talk.

"I'm doing it."

"_Frost, you're killing yourself if you try it."_

"And I'm killing my team if I don't," she reasoned.

The radio remained silent as Alex finished flipping the switches she needed. Her hand shook slightly as she reached for the last button and she tried to swallow but found her mouth was dry.

"System shut down ready," she relayed in a quiet voice.

"_Alex-"_

"See you in a minute, Houston."

Everything went dark around her and she began to work by the beam of the flashlight in her hand. As she pushed through the sequence as fast as she could, the sweat on her brow began to cool noticeably. The heat was going faster than she had anticipated and soon her fingers were beginning to stiffen from the cold. She was a little over halfway through when she began having a hard time focusing. Her heart jumped into her throat when she realized it had become harder to draw in air. A large portion of the oxygen in the shuttle had leaked out when the seals loosened without the aid of the computer to hold them closed. She hadn't had time to airlock the cockpit before she began to work.

When the fuzziness in her brain began to impede her work she used pain as a focusing mechanism and bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood. With a slightly-muddled mind she flipped the final switch and the lights flickered back on. She knelt next to the console as she waited, drawing in deep breaths when she heard the oxygen pumps working again. After a few moments the radio crackled in her ear and she pulled herself onto her feet, shaking so hard she had to lean against the wall. With a satisfied smile she saw that the light indicating the shuttle was operating under main power was glowing.

"_Freedom, do you copy? Come in, Freedom."_

"Houston, this is Freedom," she answered weakly.

The man who had been trying to reestablish radio contact was replaced by Watts once more.

"_Alex, are you okay?"_

"I'm starting to think people might be right about how smart I am," she joked, her voice still breathy.

"_It worked?"_

"Don't sound so surprised, it hurts my ego."

She heard Watts chuckle. _"I'll hand it to you, Frost. You're crazy as they come but you were right."_

"Well, I learned from the best."

"_Yeah, yeah. How are your stats?"_

"Stats are good…" She glanced around as the ship shook slightly. "What the hell?" she murmured, grabbing the wall to steady herself as the ship shook harder. "Houston, the shuttle is-Ahhh!"

A large tremor shook the whole of the shuttle and Alex tried desperately to keep on her feet as she stumbled. Her legs, already weak from the oxygen deficiency, proved unable to fight the shaking and she pitched forward. In an attempt to stay in the cockpit she threw herself as far as she could to her right, but it wasn't enough. Her head collided with the lip of the hatch before she fell through the opening and landed on the floor of the cargo bay. The last thing she heard was Watts saying her name loudly before the world around her went black.


End file.
